Never Forgotten
by Zeldagirl91
Summary: “I… need you to promise me.” She nodded mutely, and he knew she was doing everything in her power not to start crying again, if only for his sake. “Don’t.. don’t ever forget me, Kagome.”
1. Ghost of a Rose

**Disclaimer:** I neither own InuYasha nor any songs by Blackmore's Night, so if you wanna sue me… ::sweatdrop:: ::runs off to Baffin:: Heh heh heh… suckers…

**Author's Note: **Hello~! I know I've been on and off with this story since, well, a year or so, but I think this is it! XD Anyway, I really hope you all like it! I worked on it for a while, because I didn't want it to come out bad (cough-please comment-cough), so remember that I did this for you!

Anyway, on a side note, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm STILL naming these chapters after Blackmore's Night songs. I'm estimating this story to be a little over ten chapters, so I'll try to be better about updates (that doesn't mean it'll be successful… it just means I honestly will put more effort into it). In any case, though, make sure to visit the following link to see the lyrics for the song this chapter was named after! (They're really pretty!)

**Link: **ht tp:/ www. blackmoresnight. com/moon(underscore) castle(underscore) pages/lyrics. Htm

Sorry for the inconvenient format of the link… God forbid actually _allows_ us to put links on our fanfictions… stupids… ::a little resentful:: ::mutter mutter::

**Chapter One:**Ghost of a Rose

Stormy black clouds were swirling about them, creating an air of danger. Lightning streaked the sky as the thunder rolled over the distant hills, giving an ominous warning as to what was to come. Raindrops fell sparsely but heavily, signaling the torrent that was upon them.

They didn't notice.

"Keh! I'm… I'm fine, Kago… me. T-trust me… will… you?"

A girl with raven-black hair and shining brown eyes looked to her companion, thin tears rolling down her cheeks. Worry was etched in every line of her face, but he couldn't notice. His eyes were bleeding.

"InuYasha! Just stop talking, will you? You've got to save your energy, or did you forget about that, too? You're not just a little scratched, stupid! Now if you can do me the favor and just cooperate more properly—"

"Kagome… I'm… f-fine, I told… you!" InuYasha spat to the side, but rather than saliva, blood stained the grass beneath him. His arm that was looped around Kagome's shoulder tightened its grip as his step faltered, his strength deteriorating even more for the umpteenth time that day—the day that Naraku was finally killed.

Kagome assisted the limping hanyou, needing all her strength to carry his weight. Towards the end of the monumental fight between their side and Naraku's, InuYasha dove in the way of one of Naraku's tentacles in an effort to save Kagome, took the hit for her, and got his leg broken in the process. Although they won in the end, they paid many heavy costs, some of which were irreparable.

"InuYasha, if you were perfectly fine, you wouldn't be bleeding yourself out, limping, or straining every fiber of your being just to stay conscious-" Kagome's voice broke at the end as a small sob shook her body and a few more tears spilled, "–so would you please just shut up and stuff your stupid ego? We have to get out of here before you… before you _die, _InuYasha!"

The half demon remained silent after Kagome finished speaking, not knowing how to respond. _'She's right you know… she wants you to __**live**__, in case you forgot. Isn't that what she's always wanted for you, ever since the beginning? Maybe it's time you appreciate her concern…'_

The two walked on slowly, oblivious to the downpour that was to come. The farther they traveled, the more blood trailed behind them, and by the time they reached the trunk of Goshinboku, InuYasha collapsed, pulling Kagome down with him.

"InuYasha––!" was all Kagome managed before she fell on top of him, which took the breath out of the hanyou, seeing as most of his energy had already been drained beforehand.

As they were, Kagome was straddling InuYasha's hips, face-to-face with him. She gazed at him, observing his closed and bleeding eyes, taking in the sight of the blood seeping out of his well-toned chest, leaving a path of thick, scarlet blood in its wake. Her tears went unnoticed, since InuYasha was unable to see them, and the scent of the upcoming storm overwhelmed their scent. He lifted his hand to her face, however, and touched her cheek with the pad of his thumb; felt her tears.

Instantly, his eyes went wide open, and Kagome winced. She knew he was angry at her for crying, but moreover, the sight of his golden eyes splattered with blood, almost making it seem as though he were in his demon form, pained her more than her own wounds. Her eyes traveled down to his right cheek, which had been nearly completely driven through by one of InuYasha's kongosouha spears that Naraku had used against him. Kagome had to take it out shortly afterwards, and seeing his claws dig into the ground with pain as the others bought time for them… It hurt her deeply, too.

"Ka... Kagome! St-stop cry… ing…"

Heavy raindrops began to fall, seeping through Kagome's blouse, creating a watery-red color on her blouse as her blood and the rainwater mixed together, but InuYasha didn't seem to notice. His eyes were bleeding more profusely now, as he was straining them to look at the woman before him, but he didn't seem to care much for that, either. From what Kagome could tell from the look in those golden orbs of his, all he was thinking about was her.

"I'm… I'm sorry InuYasha. I just…" she trailed off, hiccupping as her tears started flowing faster– as the rain began to pour harder, drenching them in water.

"Kagome…"

She looked at him, wishing with all her heart that his cuts weren't real, that this entire day was a dream, that their friends weren't dead, that it wasn't InuYasha's blood staining her blouse…

Before she knew what she was doing, Kagome wrapped her arms securely around InuYasha's neck, throwing her body against his even more so than before, sobbing into the crook of his neck, leaning her face on his wet and bleeding shoulder, praying to all the gods that she wasn't hurting him.

Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back tenderly, the other supporting her lower back so that she could fit more easily against him. He hated to see her like this, but if he would have had more energy, more will to move, to stand… he might just broken down and cried along with her– crying for all their sufferings, for all their pain, for all their sorrows and hardships… for their friends…

"It'll… b-be okay… Kago… me…"

His voice soothed her– calmed her nerves, but it didn't help to pacify the indescribable mourning that was taking place in her heart. They had had to endure through so many trials and sufferings, and although they won in the end, they had to pay so much. What if she lost InuYasha? What then? Just the thought of losing him churned her stomach. Her already hurting body ached even more with every sob that escaped her, weakening her much too tired form. Why couldn't it all just stop…?

InuYasha brushed his lips softly across her cheek and pulled her closer to him– so close that she could feel his heart beating against her chest; feel the warmth of his body protruding through her clothing, lending her a solace she so desperately needed.

"Inu… InuYasha… why? Why did everything turn out like this? Where did we go wrong?" Kagome questioned madly, tears and blood mixing on InuYasha's shoulders, though he paid no mind to them. "Why did Kohaku have to die after Kikyou sacrificed herself and saved him? Why couldn't the Shikon no Tama just stay incomplete? Would that have been so terrible? Why did Sango and Miroku die? Or Shippou? Why did they all have to die, InuYasha…?"

Thunder overpowered the sound of Kagome's cry as she clung to InuYasha tighter, if it was even possible. Night was falling, InuYasha noticed, as the few remaining rays of orange and pink and red eased into streaks of navy blue and purple, slowly becoming dark as black. Night was falling, and he was bleeding to death. How fitting. _'We have to get help, or else…'_

He let that thought drift for a second. Or else… what? He would die? That didn't seem so bad at this point. Kagome was in his arms, Naraku was dead, and he would be able to see his friends again, along with his mother, even. And who knew? Maybe he would even be able to meet his father for the first time ever, even if the first time meeting him would be in death.

But still, compared to his present pain, that all didn't seem so bad anymore.

'_What about Kagome? She'll miss you– you know she will. She would suffer and cry – you hate it when she cries – and she would think about you and shed a tear every day if you die. Doesn't her happiness, at the very least, seem worth living for?'_

'_Kagome…? Kagome… she's strong. She'll make it. She doesn't need a dog like me around, always doing stuff wrong or getting into some kind of trouble. She should… she should be fine.'_

'_Are you stupid? She loves you! You know she loves you–'_

_And it's because she loves me that she needs to know that everything would have been for the best. Honestly, imagine if she had to choose between the two worlds– then what? I wouldn't be able to make her choose between her family and myself; that would be… completely unfair, especially for Kagome.'_

'_You do know that you would have followed her if she would have chosen her world, don't you? That you would follow her to the ends of the Earth if it meant making her happy?'_

Save for the sound of thunder in the distance, his ears – and mind – were met with complete silence. The world had gone quiet, and Kagome had fallen asleep.

'_Well,'_ he thought, as his mind began to slow and his body continued to weaken, _'if I die, at least, it won't be so bad. At least Kagome would be safe…'_

He fell asleep smiling, knowing that all the wonder in the entire world was in the most beautiful person, and that she was here with him– beside him until the very end.

Kagome woke to a whisper on the wind, the soft breeze refreshing as the first rays of dawn lightly bathed her in their light, casting small shadows all around her. The first thing she noticed as her mind began taking notice of her surroundings was the proximity between her and InuYasha. Next came the sensation of being drenched to the bone– she hadn't slept through a downpour, had she? Immediately afterward, she felt InuYasha's clothes soaked through as well– but surely _he_ couldn't have slept through a downpour as well?

No, he wouldn't have slept through a downpour. With that bit of information, she noticed one last thing, and that was the very vague hint of a heartbeat beneath hers, of the clammy skin wrapped around her, of the barely audible breathing escaping the body of the hanyou before her.

Smothering a small cry, Kagome backed up from InuYasha, taking in his appearance. Blood was smeared from his eyes to his neck –the rain had probably washed or diluted blood that had escaped his eyes– and his hair was matted down by more of his blood. Tears welled up in her eyes as the realization hit her: InuYasha didn't have much more to live, and it was all Kagome's fault. If she had just never agreed to come with him the first time he called her back…

'_After finally deciding that everything that had happened beyond the well in Sengoku Jidai was all a dream, Kagome had gone downstairs to eat dinner. Having spent three days in Feudal Japan (or conveniently imagining things of that nature), Kagome took care to relish all the things her modern world had to offer, including a hot bath, comfortable clothing, a nice bed, and soon-to-be supper._

_After going downstairs and starting to eat her precious oden, the sliding door slammed open with a very surly looking hanyou ready to kill. That's what she gathered from the look on his face, anyway._

_Scowling at her, seemingly wishing nothing more than for her to possibly implode, he spoke, vehemence marked in every syllable of every word._

"You… _who told you that you could come trotting home, eh?"'_

Kagome's tears spilled over like crystals in the shining light of dawn as the memory faded away. How could she have come back? She came because InuYasha made her, didn't she? _'I'm so stupid… how could I have let this happen? How could I have done this to him…?'_

"Kag… ome…"

Her head snapped up as she gazed InuYasha, wishing with all her heart that his suffering would be hers; that all her sins could be taken back.

It hit her that not all souls achieve salvation, and that some sins paid a price…

"Inu… InuYasha? Don't talk, okay? You're… not looking g-good…" she muttered, trying her best not to let her tears be heard, because that would only upset InuYasha.

He tried to sit up. She didn't let him. In response, he tried uttering somewhat of a weak growl, but that only served to worsen his condition, bringing him to cough up blood that trickled down the edges of his mouth, leaving scarlet trails along the edges of his jaw line, down his neck.

Kagome instantly rose to her feet, making sure not to hurt InuYasha in anyway possible, and yet feeling like she had ultimately been the cause of his inevitable demise. She claimed to love him, but what she did… it was unforgivable. All InuYasha had ever done was give her more and more, even if sometimes she was unaware of it. He always protected her, soothed her; healed her time and again. How did she thank him? She led him to his death, not so much as ever really trying to train herself in all the years she had been with him in order to properly defend herself; always counting on InuYasha to save her…

She tried her best to help InuYasha to his feet, the crazy idea that he still stood a fighting chance ravaging her mind, allowing no other thought to enter.

He tried to stand. He really did. His effort availed to nothing, however, as he grasped Kagome's hand and forced his body to move, only to collapse on the ground once more, prompting more blood to gush out of his eyes, mouth, and any open wound he had. Letting out a groan as the pain sent white hot flames coursing through his body, InuYasha squeezed his eyes shut as best as he could, praying to some divine entity to put him out of his misery.

Needless to say, that didn't really work.

Kagome kneeled beside him, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks, shimmering in the golden rays of sunlight. Her sobs racked her body, but she refused to succumb to them– to allow InuYasha to hear her despair as he fell apart before her. The once strong, arrogant, invincible hanyou now could not so much as stand on his own two feet. _'And it's all my fault… all my fault he's going to die…'_

Without even thinking, Kagome wailed, cried, screamed InuYasha's name as her world fell apart right before her eyes. In the blink of an eye, InuYasha was on his knees, his bleeding arms wrapped the crouched girl as his body trembled with the unexpected– and highly undesired –movement. He rubbed her back gently, wanting nothing but her happiness, her peace of mind. He wanted her to know that it was okay– that he was able to keep at least one promise to someone he loved –that he was able to protect her, even if it cost him his life.

* * *

Straining his eyes to open, InuYasha looked at Kagome as though he had never truly seen her before. Raven locks cascading gently over her arms, creamy skin glowing in the warm light of the sun, sparkling tears revealing her heart as his name spilled off her lips time and again…

He had never seen her more beautiful.

Knowing that he was about finished and that he had no time to lose, InuYasha rubbed the pads of his thumbs gently across her cheeks, wiping away her tears; her sorrow. He looked at her solemnly, cupping one of her cheeks in his hand, forcing her to look at him. He saw the fear in her eyes– the fear that she would lose him; he saw the longing in them, too– the desire to go back to the way things were, when all was well. Most importantly, however, he saw the love in her eyes– the deep-rooted love that he had seen in her eyes every time she looked at him, talked to him, yelled at him, smiled at him– and that was all he wanted.

"K-Ka… Kagome," he rasped, his voice weary, worn.

Successfully gaining her attention as her eyes clouded once more with tears at the sound of his voice, he continued, wishing he could look into her eyes forever but knowing he was quickly losing time.

"I-I… need you t-to promise m-me."

She nodded mutely, and he knew she was doing everything in her power not to start crying again, if only for his sake.

"Don't.. d-don't ever forget me, Kagome."

And he kissed her. His lips met hers slowly, softly, as though nothing in his lifetime could ever be more precious to him– more dear to him than this one kiss he would have with Kagome. Her lips trembled slightly under his, her movements stuttered as though she were caught in a nervous stupor. It occurred to InuYasha that his kiss might have been the first kiss Kagome had ever received. The mere thought goaded him and pleased him, the knowledge sending a surge of pride through his veins while his baser instincts knew that it could have been so much more with her– that everything could have been perfect with Kagome, if only destiny had granted him that opportunity.

Just this one kiss, however, was enough for InuYasha. It was all he could have ever dreamed of having– everything a dirty, filthy, tainted half-breed like himself never deserved.

Coaxing her gently, pressing his lips firmly against hers to let her know everything he could never say, he kissed her with a fervor that had long since infused itself within his being. She relaxed against him, her lips fluttering under his like the wings of a butterfly: gently, gracefully, matching his tempered passion with her own.

Finally breaking apart with naught but their own quiet breathing surrounding them in the early morning of the day, InuYasha smiled and looked at her: her wonder, her beauty, her gentle blush– his Kagome. _'Sounds like someone's finally being honest to himself…'_

'_I'm about to die. What's the point of hiding it anymore, right?'_

'_I never said to hide it in the first place…'_

Kagome looked up at InuYasha, a timid smile brightening her already graceful features. Locking her eyes with his, she healed him like she always had. Maybe he was tattered and broken, his flesh wounds refusing to heal, but his heart… His heart that had been torn over the passage of time– broken to pieces with all his sufferings… she healed it, mending it in that subtle way of hers, teaching him to laugh and smile and live– everything that he never thought he could ever do again. She gave him her implicit trust, believing that he could save her from any wrong in the world, never so much as doubting his ability to do the impossible when the impossible was at hand.

She reached out her hand, gently touching his face, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes as a bittersweet smile replaced her previous one. "InuYasha, I… I…."

For the first time since before the battle with Naraku, InuYasha felt his lips turn up in a genuine, completely natural and radiant smile. "I kn-know, Kagome," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper as his demise rose thick in the air. "I know, and I-I… I love you, too."

And he fell backwards, the radiant smile never leaving InuYasha's face as his eyes fluttered closed and his shining silver hair spilled around him on the dewy grass, practically glowing in the sunlight.

It didn't register in her mind. Kagome's countenance showed nothing short of dumbstruck, as though her reality stopped five seconds before. She stared blankly, staring at the form of InuYasha sprawled on the ground before her, sincerely wondering when he was going to get up again.

She bent over his form, staring at his lips, his smile. She caressed his cheek softly, the blood on them staining her fingers as she prodded him to wake up. He was… just sleeping, right? Of course he was sleeping! He was… exhausted, and being such, he just wanted rest… the rest that came with slumber… the kind of slumber that…

She stifled a cry, the reality of what happened seeping into her, her body shaking violently in reaction to this undesirable truth. _'The kind of slumber that lasts forever….'_

She screamed. She wailed. She shook InuYasha's shoulders, demanding that he wake up, that his idea of a joke wasn't funny, that she wanted to see his eyes one more time…

Then she heard it– she heard her heart break, felt her soul tear; saw her mind reel with unwanted memories. She clutched herself around her stomach, her body racking with sobs, her tears unstoppable. How could this have happened? How could her destiny end like this? Her dreams? Her hopes? Her love?

An ugliness the likes of which Kagome had never before felt entered her, seeped into her blood, riled her mind. Her gaze rested on InuYasha– _her_ InuYasha: the man she had loved since the beginning, the boy who learned to trust her, the being she gave herself to time and again.

She leaned down; kissed his cheek. Her face contorted into one of irrepressible pain– into one of a girl who had lost everything she had ever dreamed of having, everything she had hoped to achieve.

Her sin had finally been paid, Kagome realized, as another wave of sorrow shook her crumpled form. The price of her iniquity lay before her, with silver hair, scarlet blood and a radiant smile– a smile that would be engraved in her memory forever. Before she could help herself, she ripped the Shikon no Tama from her neck, the reason all the misery and suffering had begun in the first place. She stared at it in the palm of her hand, her eyes welling with tears the longer she gazed at it.

Memories– so many memories –began hitting her all at once. From the first time she laid eyes on InuYasha on Goshinboku to the night she had seen InuYasha and Kikyou kiss, to that day he had promised to protect her with his life not long before the final battle with Naraku…

Her tears fell, dripping onto the Jewel of Four Souls, the Shikon no Tama. Without warning, the jewel began to glow, a white essence of some sort swirling within the depths of it, slowly turning the once bright pink jewel to a snow-white hue.

Kagome stared at it, wondering what was happening, her tears never ceasing. Suddenly, her heart felt peaceful. Her head stopped aching, and her tears stopped flowing. An incomprehensible warmth and calm permeated her soul, soothing it gently, carefully, as though it understood her pain and suffering.

"_Thou shan't make a wish with thy soul troubled as such, my lady."_

Kagome was startled by the voice that spoke, looking around and waiting for someone to appear. No one did, however, and she was left at a blank.

The voice chuckled softly, her feminine laughter like the gentle tinkling of bells, as though music. _"My body cannot be seen physically like thine, my lady. Thou may be wondering whom it is that speaketh to thee, however, and of that I will enlighten thee, Priestess Kagome."_

Kagome was stunned, her mouth dry. Who was this? How did she know her name? "I'm… sorry that I don't know who you are, but how do you know who I am?"

"_My dear lady… thou art my savior! How can I, one who hath been trapped within the realm of the Shikon no Tama, not be familiar with she who hath freed my humble soul from that hellish imprisonment?" _

Kagome's eyes went wide, two tears falling silently down her cheeks. Was she speaking with… Midoriko? The priestess who had been fighting inside the jewel since its birth? She had to know.

"M-Midoriko-sama…" Kagome's voice whispered tentatively, hoping she didn't sound as meek as she felt, "How did… I mean… well… what happened?"

The voice sighed, something akin to a sound of resignation. _"Thou may not understand presently, my lady, but perhaps one day thou might comprehend the mannerisms of this foul and wretched jewel." _Midoriko sighed again, her tone sounding weary. _"Because this abomination was created at a time of mine own desperation, it reacts accordingly to the desperation of others– humans and demons alike. However…"_

Kagome thought back to InuYasha, his form drenched in his own blood. She smothered a cry with the back of her hand as she patiently waited for Midoriko to resume her explanation. _'Desperation… if only…'_

"_Lady Kagome, thou art currently suffering a great loss due to the untimely demise of thy precious hanyou. The jewel, along with myself, its creator, can read the hearts of any mortal being, whether it be a demon, hanyou or human. And currently, my dearest lady… thy heart is so vulnerable and in so great a need of comfort and solace that the jewel is drawn to thee– to thy pain, suffering and tears. That is why–"_

"That's why…. that's why it responded to my tears that fell on it…" Kagome whispered, her eyes gazing into the depths of the jewel still being held in her palm. She stood up, not waiting to see whether or not Midoriko was going to speak again, clutching the jewel tightly.

"So you're saying this thing likes my suffering or whatever, right? Maybe that's why Kikyou couldn't really wish on it herself, because she wasn't desperate for anything. Maybe that's why everything happened the way it did. Maybe…" Kagome paled at the thought, the idea sickening to her stomach. Was that the only reason she was destined to go to the past? To rid the world of the jewel? Her time and effort, pains and sorrows… they were all for that wretched _jewel?_

"So that's it, huh? It never mattered that I love InuYasha or that I'd die for him a thousand times. Of _course _it doesn't matter!" Kagome let out a terse, hallow laugh. "My heart means nothing, doesn't it? It's only some weak, mortal's heart, right? So now what? I wish for something, the jewel disappears, and then… what?" The bitterness in the priestess' voice was startling, completely uncharacteristic of her.

Midoriko, having been trapped in the jewel for such a long time and being purified by so many, had been able to hear the whispers of desires and malice of every being that had been in possession of the jewel. Kagome was no different in that Midoriko had been able to hear her desires and wishes as well. There was something different, however, about the girl herself: all she had truly wanted was the happiness of the silver-haired hanyou, InuYasha. The maiden's heart was pure, and though she was angry and sorrowful and hurt now, Midoriko knew better. She knew that Kagome, far more than any of her other caretakers, deserved the peace that she so needed.

"_Kagome,"_ Midoriko interjected, interrupting the girl's tirade, _"thou may think thy heart is unimportant to this jewel, but I assure thee it is not so. Thy heart is pure in its wish, and despite thy bitter words, thy soul remains untainted. What wish, then, my lady, do thy lips deem worthy of speaking?"_

Kagome's response died on her lips. The jewel was granting her a wish? What would happen afterwards? Where would she go…?

'_It doesn't matter,' _she thought to herself stubbornly, _'All that matters is that InuYasha gets one more chance, right? Because… because his first chance was no real chance at all…' _At once, the young woman looked up, staring at the sky above her, allowing herself to cool down, if for nothing else than InuYasha's sake.

Quietly, slowly, she kneeled on the ground, clasping the jewel in both of her hands and began to pray. Gradually, she felt her heart calm, her soul rest, and when she felt she was ready, she opened her eyes once more, resilient hope lighting the depths of her brown orbs.

"Midoriko-sama."

"_Thou hast thy wish, child?"_

"Midoriko-sama," Kagome began, staring intently at the jewel lying still in the palms of her hands, "I wish for InuYasha to live."

There was silence, then Midoriko spoke. _"Art thou certain, Lady Kagome?"_

The tone in Midoriko's voice gave Kagome pause, but she waved it aside. "Yes, I am certain."

"_No matter what price thou may have to pay, my lady?"_

"Yes."

A sigh of sadness tinged with regret filled Kagome's ears before Midoriko spoke again. _"Then child, so be thy fate."_

And in the blink of an eye, Kagome was gone.

**Author's Note (2): **Ah! She's gone! Again! (By again, I mean for like, the third time I write and post this story.) Yes, I know… I'm horrible. Oh, and I might just be using parts of my previously written chapters for my upcoming ones, because honestly, they weren't written too badly (especially the second one).

In any case though, please, please, please let me know what you think!


	2. Castles and Dreams

**Author's Note: **Some cussing here, but it's not 'cause I want to! InuYasha just tends to curse a bit… or a lot… but I try to tune it down, anyway. Also, keep in mind that death makes people do desperate things; with this in mind, know that InuYasha's actions might seem OOC, but trust me, that's only because he's in such a desperate situation. Remember episode 107? Yeah, well, as the story progresses (and I _do_ means past episode 167), InuYasha becomes more aware of... err... certain feelings towards certain people. I think I'll leave things at that... now, commence reading! (I mean... uhh... please?)

**Chapter Two:** Castles and Dreams

Kagome fell hard on the ground below her, but she barely noticed. _'I'm not supposed to be here,' _she thought, as she slowly rose to her feet, staring at her surroundings as though they were the product of the devil, _'I'm supposed be with InuYasha… why am I here?' _Walking over to the edge of the well, Kagome gasped. The aura she had always felt ever since that first time she went to the past was gone. There was no longer any magical, otherworldly feeling to it– it was just a useless, old, wooden well.

She stood there in shock, not really believing what was happening. Thinking back to the wish she made with Midoriko, her heart felt as though it was recoiling, as though shying away from the ugly truth would make it all better.

_There was silence, then Midoriko spoke_._"Art you certain, Lady Kagome?"_

_The tone in Midoriko's voice gave Kagome pause, but she waved it aside. "Yes, I am certain."_

"_No matter what price ye may have to pay, my lady?"_

"_Yes."_

_A sigh of sadness tinged with regret filled Kagome's ears before Midoriko spoke again. "Then child, so be your fate."_

Dropping to her knees, Kagome gripped the edge of the well so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was trying really hard not to cry but– but what was the point now? She was torn from InuYasha, the man she had grown to love so dearly. She was deprived of the only person she wanted – no, _needed_ – to keep. After all the bloodshed, the sacrifice, the pain… after all of that, she wound up separated from him, the being to whom her heart belonged.

Why did this always happen? She had given up everything – _everything_– to be with InuYasha: she gave up her time, her family, her friends, her future– all in the hopes getting to the end with him. All of them were always toiling and working and suffering… for what? To what purpose did they exert so much effort in all they did? Had any of that even mattered, in the end?

Anger began to seethe inside Kagome, slowly swelling to rage– to fury. Standing up defiantly, tears trickling down her rose-colored cheeks, Kagome looked wildly about her, wanting nothing more than to pour out all her heart's woes and sufferings on the cause of it all: on the creator of the Shikon no Tama.

"Midoriko!"

Nothing. Not a sound was heard save for the echo of Kagome's scream.

She banged her fist on the frame of the old well in frustration, her blood boiling hot. How could Midoriko do this to her? _How could she?_ She had no right! She had absolutely no right to take her away from InuYasha after everything that had taken place between them! He was… he was the future that was stuck in the past, wasn't he? Without him… just what was the point?

'_Why does it always have to hurt so much when it comes to InuYasha? What did we ever do to deserve so much pain?'_

And so, she cried.

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He took his first breath. He didn't smell her.

He opened his eyes. He didn't see her.

He felt his heart beat once, twice. He didn't feel her.

Sitting up and looking about him as though he had never seen anything quite so new, InuYasha was dumbfounded, just _knowing_ that he shouldn't have been seeing everything– knowing that such a sunny, warm day did not belong to the likes of him. He was dead, and being such, he shouldn't have been allowed to see such a glorious morning.

That is, a glorious morning without Kagome.

InuYasha stood up slowly, a wave of lethargy suddenly hitting him. His body was fully recuperated, but his mind was exactly where he had left it: saying goodbye to Kagome for the final time. But why was it that he couldn't sense her in any way, shape, or form? Why did the world suddenly seem so devoid of beauty?

"InuYasha."

Whipping around to the sound of his name, InuYasha stood in awed wonder at the almost translucent figure of Midoriko. Her long black tresses flowed freely over her body, and her soft but determined eyes stared right through him, as though she could see into the very core of his soul. The hanyou was nearly mesmerized by the ethereal figure before him, until she repeated his name again, this time with a hint of sadness in it.

"InuYasha, do you know who I am?"

InuYasha continued to stare, nodding mutely, as though the seemingly palpable prowess of the being stilted his very ability to speak.

She gave him a wisp of a smile, but her eyes still looked torn, ridden with guilt. What kind of sin could have bestowed such feelings of remorse on such a remarkable woman, InuYasha hadn't the slightest idea. He did, however, feel that her transgression had something to do with Kagome. _'Ridiculous. Why would Midoriko do anything to Kagome?' _

He shook his head slowly, attempting to remove such ludicrous thoughts from his mind.

Before he was even able to do that, though, Midoriko raised one of her hands, her head slightly tilted to the side and her eyes looking as sorrowful as ever. "No, InuYasha. Do not think that you are incorrect. I… I did…"

In the back of his mind, InuYasha might have known exactly what Midoriko was trying to say. In the forefront of it, however, the hanyou refused to even _think_ the legendary priestess Midoriko would do something so remarkably wicked. Denying what was right before him, InuYasha allowed Midoriko to continue, trying to convince himself that she didn't have anything to do with Kagome– that Kagome wasn't really gone.

The hanyou looked into the eyes of the miko, begging her to lie to him– begging her to let him believe, at least for a little bit longer, that the only reason he would have come back to the world of the living wasn't just out of his reach.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she continued to gaze at him, those sad eyes engraving themselves in his memory. When she spoke, her voice trembled, and InuYasha felt his heart clench, apprehension seizing it with a deathly grip: whatever Midoriko was about to say was going to decide whether or not that heart would ever truly beat again.

She smiled sadly, her guilty eyes never straying from his once strong, proud golden eyes.

"InuYasha… Lady Kagome… She wished for… for your life to be given back to you. She… in order to grant such a tremendous wish, I… I had to take away what was most important to her, and–"

"Midoriko, she– What… what was most important to… to Kagome?" The question slipped away from him before he could take it back– before he could even regret so much as thinking it.

"The most precious think to Lady Kagome wasn't her life, InuYasha, if that is what you are fearing," she replied, hoping to offer him even the slightest solace.

Though slightly relieved, that painful hold apprehension had upon his heart didn't waver, and the anxiety was ready to kill him. "Midoriko," InuYasha began, his attempt to sound more confident failing miserably as his voice nearly cracked, "what was most important to Kagome?"

The ghost of a woman sighed once more, the air around both of them seemingly dead, as though all the happiness in the world had been sucked out. "InuYasha," another tear slipped, "the most important thing to Kagome – the closest thing to her heart – stands now before me, alive and in full health, just as she wished."

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Desperation enveloped her like it never had before. Screaming, crying, hitting– she had been doing all these things for what seemed like an eternity. Everything was lost; nothing was gained. That's how it always worked with Kagome. _'Give everything you have so that you have nothing left…'_

She stood up, looking madly about her, searching for something to break. Desiring nothing more than to give release to all the pain her small, human heart had accrued, Kagome grabbed the item closest to her – a wooden pole – and smashed it against the wall of the well house. The end of it splintered, but she didn't care. How could she care? There was nothing left for her, and yet she wasn't dead. Fate really had a funny way of destroying the life of a once happy, intelligent, normal girl without actually condemning her to Hell.

She harried the room for a while longer but was forced to stop when she blindly swung the pole downwards against a piece of scrap metal, which caused it to bounce back and hit her soundly in the shin.

Falling as a result of the hit, Kagome moaned softly, her backside suffering the second hard fall that day and her shin hot with the pain from the pole. Rubbing it gently so as not to hurt herself further, the seventeen-year-old winced at the light touch, swelling already evident to her red and puffy eyes. She didn't stop rubbing her shin, however, and with every soft caress, it stung her more and more.

'_If this hurts,'_ she thought sadly to herself, her tears unrelenting as they raced down her cheeks, _'I can't even imagine what InuYasha had to suffer… for me… and because of me.'_

She finally closed her eyes, though her tears continued flowing, and she smiled lightly, relishing the only comfort she found with the choice she made.

'_If nothing else, at least InuYasha isn't hurt. Midoriko… make sure he never gets hurt again.'_

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InuYasha felt the first tear of his soul to the last cut on his heart. He was bleeding more than he ever had before, but it was blood that could not be seen. He ambled forward, nearing the legendary priestess, his eyes entreating her to put him out of his misery. Her lips trembled, as though she were about to cry, to weep, but she did not respond.

"Midoriko," he rasped, hot moisture gathering behind his eyes but refusing to fall, "will I… will I ever see her again?"

Midoriko shook her head slowly, dreading the reaction the silver-haired boy before her would have.

She knew what he was feeling. Having been sealed within the Shikon no Tama for centuries, the priestess had been able to hear the desires of every man whose hand touched the jewel. She had heard this man's desires several times before; every time he was near to the jewel, she could hear his heart speaking to her, revealing the secrets of which even he was not aware.

The last time she had heard his heart's wish, she had been completely surprised– no longer had he desired to become a full demon; rather, he wanted to be able to love one girl, one woman: Lady Kagome. He wanted her love, also, but more powerful still was his desire to love her, to care for her, to cherish her. That the once vile, wicked half-breed desired such a thing… it greatly aided in the purification of the jewel.

Now, that man was standing before her, his anguish a tangible thing and his pain quickly becoming her own. "InuYasha, I… I am so sorry, InuYasha…"

His words came out in a whisper, barely audible. "You don't understand…"

"Inu… InuYasha?"

"Don't do that!" he yelled, his voice dripping with raw agony as his heart was poured out before them, every emotion made known to the world. "Don't you dare talk to me the way _she_ did! _You_ did this! Every suffering we went through… it was all _your_ fault!" He lowered his head, and Midoriko heard the quietest sob, the softest whimper.

"And…" he continued, though his voice sounded hoarse, broken, "it's because of you that I met her. It's because of you that we went through so much together, and that I was able to live again."

There was a moment of silence before InuYasha's voice filled the air once more– a sound that could never be reproduced by any other being but himself, as it was _his_heart and _his_ soul being poured into the world, and no other creature would ever possess those things. "So if nothing else, I thank you for that."

Very suddenly, Midoriko gasped, her ears filled with a voice not her own.

"_Midoriko… make sure he never gets hurt again."_

InuYasha glanced up, a look of concern marring his brow. Midoriko, having been stunned silent by Kagome's request, was unable to reassure InuYasha that she was well and that nothing had happened to her.

She stared blankly at him, not knowing what to do with Kagome's request. _'How is it possible? How is it possible that her request reached me, even with a disparity of 500 years? I… I cannot… my lady…'_

"Midoriko?"

Whipping her head sharply to the side towards the well, Midoriko heard it– she heard the sound of Kagome's crying, of her sorrow. To her, it sounded as loudly as it would have been had Kagome been crying right beside her, spilling the laments of her heart. A pang shot through Midoriko as she heard the maiden's sorrow, felt it, even, in her very own heart.

She turned back to InuYasha, and for the first time in centuries, she embraced a man. He was warm and strong, with amber eyes and silver hair. She cried– for Kagome's suffering: Kagome, who had given up her heart to this man; for InuYasha, whose soul she could hear tearing to pieces; for their companions, who died as a result of a war she had been unable to win so many years ago; finally, she cried for the sake of all whom had suffered under the curse of the Shikon no Tama– every person who had suffered because of her.

Letting go of InuYasha, Midoriko stared into those eyes of gold– the eyes her saviour so longed to see. Seeing the despair etched in every grain of amber in those terribly grief-stricken eyes, Midoriko made her decision. _'If this damns me to Hell, then so be it.'_

Smiling gently, serenely, Midoriko placed her hand above InuYasha's heart, and, after intercepting his inquiring gaze, answered his unasked questions. "InuYasha, there is one thing I have yet to do. You see, I had… forgotten that my lady had requested something else in her wish and so, I have decided to further that, even, so as to somewhat alleviate my conscience of this grotesque and unbidden guilt." _'May you find the love that so captivates you once more, and may you one day remember all that you have lost, InuYasha…'_

"What…?"

Without waiting for his consent, Midoriko touched InuYasha's cheek with the palm of her hand, a delicate, silky light surrounding them, breathing life into the air nearby. "InuYasha," she whispered, as her already insubstantial form began to fade away into the wind, "it pains my heart to see you suffer so. Because of this…"

Alarmed, InuYasha eyed her suspiciously, his instincts imploring him to get away from her. "Because of this…?"

"Because of this, I will make certain that neither you, nor any of your companions or acquaintances, suffer because of the memory of my dearest lady."

For a moment, InuYasha's heart skipped a beat. Returning to his senses, however, he swung at the air around him trying with all his might to get away– to escape the nightmare that was about to befall him. Seeing that he was unable to do anything with the priestess's powerful barrier surrounding him, he looked back at her, defiance and hurt writ in the depths of his eyes.

"Midoriko, don't! _Don't!_You_don't_ understand! _I love her!_ You won't make me forget her! You _won't–!"_

In but a mere heartbeat, InuYasha was swept into a world of darkness.

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_She was running away from something, but she had no idea what it was. The all too-consuming knowledge that she was going to be hurt again kept her running, however, though how she knew that much, she was uncertain. _

_Her breathing was shallow, and it couldn't keep up with the pace at which she was running. Still, she knew she couldn't stop to take a break. If she did, she just knew she would die– she would die, and she would never be able to think of _him_ again. No… if only for _him,_ she would make sure her heart kept beating; if only for memories of_him,_ she would make certain that her life went on. _

_But what was she running from? She glanced backwards– saw a wisp of silver, a flash of gold. Snapping her head in front of her, hot tears staining her already red and puffy cheeks, Kagome knew what she was running from: she was running from the very reason she continued to go forward– the reason life was even worth the pain._

_She tripped and fell, and without warning, she saw the image of him that would forever be carved into the recesses of her mind. _

_He was laying there, the scarlet blood that so matched his kimono pooling around him, bathing him in it. She watched, horrified beyond belief, as he weakly tilted his head towards her and smiled– a pitiful smile that beckoned her soul to his._

_Reaching out, she tried to touch his hair, his face– anything. When she finally came close enough to make some kind of contact with him, his golden eyes dulled and lost the soul that had given life to them, and he slowly dissipated into nothingness, leaving her to wallow in her misery one more time._

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"Ugh…"

Rolling his head side to side, and making sure to crack it thoroughly, InuYasha awoke in a disoriented state of mind, knowing absolutely nothing regarding his whereabouts.

He looked in every direction possible, but couldn't see anything that really explained why he wasn't pinned by a sacred arrow to a sacred tree. _'And what the hell is that _stench?_Why do I smell Kikyou's blood? And my blood? What the fuck is going on?'_

InuYasha stood up, recognized the Bone-Eater's Well, and decided to start looking for answers there. _'Might as well see if Kikyou purified something that hurt her… and me… did she free me? Kikyou…'_

Although he was still distrustful of Kikyou's actions due to her attack on him earlier, he couldn't help but wonder why she freed him. It must have been she who did it, because no other person could dislodge the Fuuin no Ya save for the miko who used it. On top of that, said miko must have a strong desire to release the sealed demon. _'So,'_ thought the hanyou, perplexed by everything Kikyou had done thus far,_'why did she free me? She had just sealed me to Goshinboku, and yet she freed me so soon after… why?'_

He knew he couldn't trust her– there was no question about that. After believing her lies about wanting to be with him and wanting to spend the rest of her life as a 'normal woman', then getting shot through by her stupid arrow, InuYasha wasn't about to fall for her tricks again. A flicker of emotion entered his eyes but left as quickly as it came– _'And yet, you still love her, you stupid, stupid dog.'_

He sighed – a most unnatural sound for a demon of his nature – and sat on the edge of the well._'Why did everything turn out like this?'_

A sudden flash of… something, and a vaguely familiar voice rang in his ears, but he couldn't place who it was:

"_Inu… InuYasha… why? Why did everything turn out like this? Where did we go wrong?"_

That voice… she was crying. He remembered that. The voice sounded like Kikyou's but… it wasn't quite the same. He didn't really know who it was, but for some reason, he felt pained hearing that woman's voice. That voice…

'_Who_is_ that?'_

'_You think I know? 'Cause I've got nothin'. But you know, she does sound an awful lot like Kikyou… are you sure it wasn't Kikyou?'_

Annoyed at his youkai blood for being completely stupid, InuYasha released a terse growl. _'Yes, stupid– I'm sure it wasn't Kikyou. Don't you think I'd remember?'_

'_Well, I'm sure _we'd_ remember if it was Kikyou, but then… damn it! Who is that?"_

Before he could dwell on it any longer, he heard a small, weak sound from inside the well. Curious, InuYasha looked over the edge and listened but was unable to make out much of anything. Not knowing whether it was a demon or not, he jumped down over the lip of the well and landed on the earthy ground beneath him. He saw nothing around him, but continued to hear the sound– a soft, barely inaudible whimper.

What was making that sound?

He sat on the floor of the well, wondering if he was going to continue hearing the sound, or if it would stop. Within moments, there was another whimper, but… _'But… it sounds like it's coming from _beneath_ the well? What the hell? That can't be right…'_

Pressing his ear to the ground, InuYasha waited. A few seconds later, there was another whimper, and InuYasha was beyond confused. _'What in hell _is_this? Besides that, there's nothing dead here, so what did Kikyou kill? Did she kill anything? If she didn't, then… then why did I smell her blood up there, but with no trail?'_

Frustration welled inside him, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was completely lost, had no idea why he was even there, and he didn't have the slightest chance of knowing where Kikyou was. _'Not that, you know, I'd even _want_ to see that stupid bitch. I trusted her, and she… she thought I hurt her. I… I would never…'_

That whimpering sound again. InuYasha closed his eyes and listened, though he still didn't understand what the voice was saying. For a split second, he thought he might have finally lost it– that after so much hurt throughout his life, he was finally beginning to give up on reality and make up his own truths.

He listened closely, his ear still pressed against the ground, and the world around him seemed almost eerily quiet, as though even nature itself wanted him to listen.

"No… don't… catch me…"

The voice was faint– so faint, in fact, that had InuYasha been anything less than half demon, he wouldn't have heard a thing. Either way, though, what did the voice mean? Besides, that voice sounded uncannily like the one he had heard before– why was that? _What_ was that? Who was the one speaking?

Before long, the whimpering and soft cries started again, but InuYasha was straining himself too much to hear, and he had to give up. Maybe later she would get louder, and he would finally be able to recognize who that woman – or was she a demon? – was. _'Until then,'_ thought the hanyou, as he rose up from his position against the ground and lifted himself into a sitting position, _'I'll just sit tight and see if anything happens. After all, I haven't smelled Kikyou around here at all with the exception of that bit of blood, so what else do I have to do but wait here?_

Before long, InuYasha was asleep, powerless against the binds of his mind's eye.

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Kagome woke up, a sheen of cold sweat dripping down her forehead and her heart racing a mile a minute. What was that? Why would she dream that terrible, awful dream? Her breathing was labored, heavy. She didn't understand why she would dream of InuYasha chasing her, or why she would dream of InuYasha lying before her in such a fatal state.

She smothered a cry as her face contorted into a look of pain, of anguish– of complete and utter loss. Her dark, black hair fell about her as she leaned forward, her shin still aching from the hit with the pole and her body sore from all its cuts and bruises.

It began to rain outside the little well house, and before she could think anything through, Kagome got up, closed the doors to the well house quickly but silently, and stood in front of the well, her sobs never ceasing. She looked down the empty space, hoping – praying – that InuYasha would suddenly come out, tired and weary from battle, but assuring her nonetheless that he was real, that he was alive, that she didn't just lose her world.

She leaned on the frame of the well, her arms trembling – although whether it was because she was weak or nervous, she wasn't sure – and she hoisted one leg up on the wooden frame. Gathering her wits, absolutely needing this to work, Kagome quickly pulled over the other leg and jumped.

Kagome bit her bottom lip when she landed. She couldn't be completely certain, but the pain she felt gave her the idea that her right ankle – the same leg with the hurt shin – was twisted. Fighting back the tears, however, Kagome placed her hands on the ground, paying no heed no the pain, and began digging.

She knew it was crazy. She was very aware of the fact that digging wouldn't work. At this point, though, she couldn't help herself– she had to delude herself into believing that something was going to happen. _'You know this isn't going to work, Kagome. You know you've just about lost the most important person in your life. Why don't we just… give up?'_

Her hands slowed to a stop, her fingers all covered in dirt and her nails nearly black. Her arms suddenly felt as though they were a ton each, and the sudden weight of her body made Kagome feel as though the gravity level had just increased. She collapsed on the ground, the events of the day slowly ruining her, crumbling her to pieces. Her face fell on one cheek, her hair spilling over the other. Silent tears fell over the bridge of her nose, though her eyes seemed unusually clear. Her mind was at a blank, as though even thought process was a painstaking process.

A fair, pink glow filled the well, giving light to the darkness that encompassed it. Kagome moved her head slowly, her movements more lethargic than they ever had been. She looked up slightly and saw Midoriko, who seemed as though she was horrified.

"Midoriko…"

"My Lady…" she breathed, crystal tears streaming down her face as she stooped down and held Kagome's cheek in her hand, gently brushing her hair back with the other. "My dearest Kagome, what– how…– _why did this happen to you?"_

Kagome merely stared, a thought finally processing, but not one that would answer Midoriko's question. "InuYasha… how is he? Is he okay? He's… he's not hurting, right?"

The question prompted a few unsolicited tears, but Kagome didn't even notice.

She looked like such a pitiful sight to Midoriko, that the woman didn't even know what to do with her. _'Should I tell her what happened? I… I don't want to see her hurt anymore, but then… she deserves to know the truth. Oh, Lady Kagome… I'm so sorry…'_

"My Lady, I… I must confess something to you…"

Kagome blinked once, not speaking so as to allow Midoriko to continue. The priestess stared sadly at her, and though Kagome couldn't make much of anything at this point, she knew whatever it was Midoriko was about to confess… it wasn't going to be anything good.

"My Lady, ye… ye made a request of me, and I… I had been unsure of what I should have done." Midoriko breathed in heavily, closed her eyes for a moment. Gathering what was left of her spiritual energy, for she knew she was quickly losing time, Midoriko continued, opening her eyes and staring straight at Kagome, letting her know that all she spoke was truth. "My Lady, I… I gave life to your other companions, because I felt their endeavors merited that, if nothing else; also, I… I…."

"You… what? What happened? Midoriko, did something happen to InuYasha?" Kagome regained some sense, knowing to some extent that whatever Midoriko had to say was hurting her, and if it was hurting Midoriko, Kagome knew – just _knew_ – that it was going to kill her.

"Kagome, I… I made them forget."

Nothing. Silence.

"What?"

"My Lady, my savior, I am so sorry, so very, very sorry… this woman's soul will never be in repose, as well it shouldn't. I have committed many wrongs, oh sweet, selfless Kagome, and I do not merit such reconciliation." Midoriko sobbed, cupping Kagome's face in her hands, the girl now sitting in an upright position with her eyes opened wide.

"But," Kagome began, still confused, still apprehensive, "what, exactly, did you _do?_"

Midoriko continued sobbing, and her words were hard to make out, but Kagome finally understood, "Kagome… I made them forget– forget everything about their journey with you, so that they wouldn't hurt anymore. Don't you see? I thought… I thought that was what my lady desired– for their peace of mind! I– I thought…" she bit her lip, crystals spilling freely down her cheeks, "I thought wrongly, my lady, and I… I shall never forgive myself…"

With that, Midoriko was gone, disappearing like a whisper on the wind.

Kagome grasped her head in her hands, nothing processing but the fact that what she thought was the loss of everything became the possession of nothing– not even her place in InuYasha's heart.

"I lost everything…" she whispered, barely audible, even to her own ears. Her tears were all dried up, her heart completely shattered; what she thought she knew about the world gone like the wind. "He doesn't remember me…." The words sounded dead to her– just like everything else did at that moment.

"_Why do I love you, InuYasha?"_

She had to wonder, was her heart still beating?

**Author's Note (2): **This was pretty much an explanatory chapter, but don't worry! Better things are yet to come. And err… I know I'm kind of… late… ::gets bombarded with expected gross things:: Okay, but I _can_ explain! You see, December wasn't good. I had my birthday, terribly monstrous exams, Christmas vacation (with a Mario Galaxy included), and well… it's been really, really busy. It's probably going to stay that way, but I've found a way to work on fanfiction during Spanish and Bible, so all's well… I hope? Ehm… so yeah, I hope you all tell me what you think though! I mean, I'm not very punctual, I know, but.. I try, and it's nice to hear feedback. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!

**Author's Note (3): **"Fuuin no Ya" means "Sealing Arrow", mentioned in episodes 147-148… I think.


	3. I Still Remember

**Disclaimer:**I don't own InuYasha. Trust me, I don't. If I did, I would make a most fluffy, indulgently sweet ending with a hopeful sunrise or some silly cliché romantic moment like that. Then again, maybe it'll happen. A girl can dream, right?

**Warning:**This chapter may contain some spoilers for those who don't keep up with the manga (and I don't mean the manga in the States). It may or may not contain an excerpt from chapter 474 "Wounded Heart." We shall see…

**Warning (2): **Scratch that. It does contain the spoiler. Oh well.

**Chapter Three: **I Still Remember

InuYasha woke, startled. The sharp, harsh cry that rang within the walls of the well grated his ears, forcing him to clamp them shut against his head.

What happened?

He knew he had fallen asleep, and that he hadn't been paying attention to the sounds that had been coming from beneath the well. Even then, though, what would make that soft, gentle voice from earlier cry out in such a manner? More over, why did that scream set him so much on the edge, to the point that he felt the need to… save her?

Another flash – perhaps a memory? – hit him, and his head began to hurt, the pain pounding against his skull.

_He was seeing Kikyou in a whisper of a dream, and the most wonderful feeling embraced him. He thought she had died; he thought… it didn't matter what he thought, did it? She was there, in front of him, beckoning him to take her hand. All he had to do was accept…_

_Just as he was about to take her offer, to let her lead him away to wherever it was she wanted, he heard _her_ voice– the voice of the woman who had soothed his troubled mind; mended his wounded heart time and again. 'Kagome?'_

_He woke up and found himself tied in a tangle of roots and vines– those of the demon Kaou. Angered – no, enraged – at the fact that he let himself be manipulated by that good-for-nothing of a demon, InuYasha finally managed to break through his binds. He attacked Kaou blindly, wanting nothing more than to rip him to shreds for what he had done. Just when he had thought some damage had been inflicted, however, the demon turned into a mass of roots and vines, trapping InuYasha's arm and, before the hanyou could do something to retaliate, struck a bundle of vines where InuYasha's heart would be. Before he knew what was happening, InuYasha saw an arrow fly right in front of him, hitting Kaou directly. The demon disappeared, but InuYasha wasn't quite sure that was the end of him. Still, though, realizing that Kagome had saved him, InuYasha followed her scent out of the building._

_What he saw made his heart plummet._

_Kagome was tangled in Kaou's vines, completely vulnerable to his relentless attacks on the heart. Without a second thought, InuYasha hurried to aid her, damned if he was going to let Kaou hurt her, too. Urging her to hold on, InuYasha carried her limp form in his arms, praying that she was all right._

_Kaou's voice broke all around him, and before InuYasha could try to determine where, exactly, that bastard of a demon was hidden, he spoke. "What a wonderful flavor… That girl's soul is even more wounded than yours."_

_InuYasha stared down at the girl in his arms, his heart beating so fast he was afraid it would burst. "And the cause of that girl's pain is…"_

_He went silent, and Kagome stirred. Standing up and grabbing her bow and arrow, she shot at the flowers, so angry about Kaou's discovery that her power seemed nearly incredible given her current condition. Without realizing it, Kaou appeared behind her, ready to attack. Spotting him and warning Kagome not to move, however, InuYasha quickly lunged at the demon with Tessaiga and killed him._

_After all was said and done, Kagome still supported him, even though she was hurting, too. It didn't matter that he knew she needed better than himself– all that mattered was that she accepted him, forgave him, healed him when all he could do was condemn everything he was…_

"_Kagome, how are you so strong?"_

_And then, being the Kagome he held so dear to his heart, she began to scream, explaining it was kindness, not strength, that she so possessed in abundance… _

When finally the memory dissipated, InuYasha felt his heart racing rapidly, ready to expel itself from his body. Why did it feel so painful to look at that girl– Kagome? More importantly, why was her scream so identical to the one that woke him up? _'I don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't like it. Why can't I remember anything about the girl from the visions?'_

Frustrated, dejected, InuYasha rose from his place on the ground, finally deciding he was going to leave. He couldn't take it anymore. His heart hurt to see that girl – that Kagome – but he didn't so much as have a ghost of a memory of her– at least, not one that he could willingly recall. What was the point of staying?

Jumping out of the well, InuYasha sat on the rim, looking down into the empty space. He felt somewhat guilty leaving that girl alone, but what if she wasn't even real? What if his mind was just playing tricks on him, or he was going crazy? _'Well, I don't know about you, but I heard that girl just as well as you did, and I know _I'm_not crazy.'_

InuYasha snorted. _'That's not the point. The point is that I'm getting a nagging feeling that the girl I heard in the well is the same one from the visions, and I have no idea who the hell she is, except that her name's Kagome. More importantly, it's affecting me– hearing that girl makes me… feel things, and I don't know why.'_

'_Feel things… like what?'_

InuYasha sighed, exasperated with himself and his youkai. _'She makes me feel sad, all right? And I don't know why the hell I feel sad just _looking_ at her if I don't even know who she is or where she's from.'_

'_Well, fine, but we can't just leave her there, you know. She was… crying… and I don't like it when she cries.'_

'_How would you know? We don't even know her!'_

'_I know we don't, all right? But I still don't like it. I just… know.'_

Sighing, InuYasha got up and shook his head. His best bet right now was to find someone – anyone – and find out just what the hell was going on. Glancing back once before leaving, InuYasha silenced his youkai and bound away.

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After leaving the well, InuYasha had been able to pick out a scent not too far off and began running in that direction in the hopes of finding some answers.

A groan from someone close by stopped him in his tracks and prompted his sprinting over to where the source of the sound had come. The sight that met him, however, was the last thing he had expected to see.

"Ooohhh… my _head…_" said a monk, sprawled on the ground with a woman in some exterminator outfit lying on top of him. The bloodstains on the monk's clothing rang a warning bell in InuYasha mind, daring him to connect that man's blood to Kikyou's. Did he know something about what had happened?

Nearing the man steadily, InuYasha examined his movements carefully, and nearly gawked at the supposed priests actions.

"Well, well! This is certainly a pleasant surprise! I have no recollection of why I'm here, there's a beautiful woman lying on top of me, and from the looks of it, no one is to be seen for miles!" The monk grinned deviously, obviously unaware of InuYasha's presence. "This most definitely calls for celebration…" he muttered quietly, smiling sheepishly as he stroked the woman's backside with his hand, which seemed to be wrapped up in some cloth and tied with beads, as was noted by the spying hanyou.

Appalled at the monk's unholy actions (even though he didn't feel compelled in the least to reprimand him, since it was neither his place nor worry), InuYasha strode to his side, tapping his foot impatiently. The monk looked up, casting a fleeting glance at his mischievous hand before tucking it beside him neatly, and simply stared up at the hanyou.

After quite a bit of silence the monk cleared his throat. "How may I help you reach enlightenment, my good sir?" inquired the monk in what seemed to have been a tone of advertisement, apparently hoping the demon before him would be inclined to accept.

Exasperated, InuYasha rolled his eyes and bent down, glaring at the monk all the while. "Who are you?"

The monk, taking in the half-demon's appearance, spoke. "My name is Miroku, and I am a faithful servant of Buddha, aspiring, as every other living soul undoubtedly is, to reach enlightenment, as well as complete my journey." He paused, glancing around him once more, as though waiting for something to pounce, then added, "Now that I have answered your question, just who might _you_ be?"

InuYasha scoffed, turning his head haughtily to the side. Just who did this man think he was? _'Servant of Buddha my ass… he's got his lecherous mind set on lust. But still, maybe knows something…'_ Leering to the side, InuYasha replied, "I am InuYasha, and I would highly suggest that you listen well, because if you don't, I'll–"

But his introduction was interrupted as a slap resounded in the night air, having come from directly in front of the hanyou. Looking to the monk, he saw that the exterminator woman had awoken, conveniently having found the monk's hand on a less-than-convenient area, and slapped him, leaving a large, almost glowing red handprint on the monk's face.

"Holy hell–" was just about all that escaped InuYasha's mouth before the woman decided to round on him as well, leaping from her place on Miroku and practically jumping on InuYasha.

The aforementioned hanyou, not having expected the woman's however futile attack, fell backwards, she landing on him. He held on to her hard, making sure that she didn't escape. She was with the monk, so maybe she knew something as well.

"LET – ME – GO!" The woman screeched at the top of her lungs, punching and kicking fruitlessly at InuYasha, trying to wriggle herself from his seemingly inescapable hold.

Heaving her over his shoulder as he rose, he squeezed her around her middle, signaling for her to be quiet. The woman, however, had different ideas.

"Let me _go_, you disgusting, filthy vermin! I need to find InuYasha! I need–"

Without a moment's hesitation, InuYasha placed the woman on the ground, his eyes probing hers. "What did you say, woman? Who did you need to find?" His heart was ready to leap out of his chest at the newfound discovery. So this woman _did_ know something. She must have, anyway, if she was looking for him and obviously ended up in the right place.

Freeing herself from his grasp, the woman sent daggers at him as she glared his way, her brown eyes piecing into his gold ones.

"I said," began the woman, bitter anger in her voice, "I need to find InuYasha! He's the man that slaughtered every one of my people! It's because of _him_ that I don't have a place to call home anymore!" she yelled, violent rage swimming in the depths of her vehement gaze. "So if you _don't mind,_ I'd like for you to get out of my way and _leave me be!"_

Pushing InuYasha out of the way, the woman took a few steps before stopping. Only then did she seem to realize that she was completely and utterly confused. Where was she? Why was she here? She had been with Naraku just a few moments before, right before her gaze landed on… on… people. That's all she remembered? That she saw people?

Turning – albeit, regrettably – back to the demon and the perverted monk, she stared at the both of them, befuddlement writ in her eyes. "Err… where am I?"

The monk stood up, dusting his robes. "Well, I do believe you and I seem to be lost as far as our whereabouts are concerned. What say you to joining me so that we can find our place again, eh? Two's company…" the monk trailed off, smiling hopefully at the woman.

"No, thank you, I'll pass," answered the woman, obviously repulsed at the idea of traveling with such a lecherous man.

"Oh, but my lady, I–"

"Save it." The hanyou stalked towards the woman, looking her dead in the eye. "Woman, what is your name? Who told you that InuYasha killed your people?"

The woman in question eyed him carefully, as though wondering whether he was to be trusted or not. Apparently deciding that revealing her name wasn't too terrible, she answered. "My name is Sango, and I am one of the few remaining demon exterminators in this land. The advisor of the lord at whose temple I had… been staying informed me of the attack on my village by the demon named _InuYasha,_" she concluded, spitting after saying the name of he whom she perceived to be her nemesis. "Does that answer your question, demon?"

Not at all fazed by the venom with which this woman uttered his name, InuYasha stared at her for a moment longer, her story seeming a little too strange. Why did it seem as though he had heard that story a long time ago, from the same woman, even though he had never met her in his entire life? _'Whatever…'_

Focusing his attention once more on the woman before him, he probed her eyes with his own, daring her to lie to him. His gaze was intense, but she didn't even blink. "No," was his simple answer. "I need to know his name, woman."

Rolling her eyes slightly at his insistence (and edging to her right, due to the fact that the monk was nearing her), she sighed in frustration. "Is it that necessary that you know his name?" InuYasha's silence answered her question well enough, and she sighed. "His name is Naraku. There, are you satisfied now?"

A sharp intake of breath to her left and a fallen, jingling staff alerted Sango that the monk was somewhat taken aback by this bit of information. Judging from the expression on his face, Sango believed she couldn't have been more correct.

"Did you say _Naraku?_" questioned the monk, his eyes widened with shock.

"Yes, monk, I did. What importance is his name to you?" Sango countered, eyeing him carefully now that he was so near to her.

"He… he was the one who cast a curse upon my family! Both my father and grandfather died because of his curse! Where… where was he last?_Where is Naraku?"_ the monk bellowed, his cry echoing throughout the forest that surrounded their clearing.

By this time, Miroku had seized Sango by her shoulders, his eyes imploring her to tell him what he wanted to know. Sango, carefully prying his hands off her, looked at him directly and stopped, meeting his deep violet eyes for the first time. For some reason, her voice hitched in her throat as she stared at him, transfixed by the deep shade of his eyes.

"Well?" prompted the monk, looking a little affronted by the fact that she didn't trust his hands on her (even though he had thus given her no reason to do so in the first place).

As though she had been brought back to reality from a trance, Sango looked startled, finally realizing what she was supposed to say. "O-oh, right. I apologize for my lack of manners." She stated a tad shyly, blushing the palest shade of pink– barely noticeable. "Monk, I do not know the whereabouts of Naraku seeing as, if you hadn't already noticed, I don't know my _own_ whereabouts," replied the exterminator, taking a step back from Miroku, just in case.

The aforementioned monk appeared as though an added weight had been hefted onto his shoulders, making him slump a bit. The news, it seemed, did not sit well with him. "Ah…" he began, but trailed off as he was lost to his own thoughts. His countenance appeared to be that of a man deep in thought. Finally, after a few minutes' time, much to the irritated hanyou's displeasure, Miroku picked up his staff and tried to walk off, as though he had never spoken to them in the first place.

"OI!" roared the hanyou as he leaped over to Miroku and grabbed him by the collar of his robes. "What the hell do you think you're doing, monk? I need to ask you a few things!" InuYasha yelled right into Miroku's ear, making him flinch. "Do you have any idea what has happened in the past day? Do you know who Kikyou is, monk?"

Sango's face turned to meet InuYasha's after his mentioning Kikyou's name. "Did you say Kikyou? What is your name, demon?" inquired Sango, curious as to how he knew that particular priestess' name.

He blinked once, as though it took him a bit to register the fact that this woman seemed to know something about Kikyou. Walking straight back to her with Miroku in tow, InuYasha placed himself right in front of Sango, ready to hold her down if he needed to, so long as it meant he would be getting some answers. "My name," began InuYasha warily, knowing that this woman's animosity would intensify significantly moments after he stated his name, "is InuYasha."

All Hell seemed to have broken loose in that one moment, beginning with the scream of Sango and ending with InuYasha's body hovering over hers, pinning her completely to the ground. What he failed to hold down with his limbs was held down with his weight. From the look of it, InuYasha was sure that the woman wouldn't try anything under such circumstances.

"Now listen here, you little–"

"_You killed my people!"_ she shrieked, severely impeding InuYasha's better hearing abilities for a good while. _"You murdered almost everyone I loved__and cared for!__You ruined my home!"_ Tears were streaming down the woman's face, her sorrow palpable in the air around her. "You… you are a _monster,_ InuYasha…" she whispered, her throat hoarse from screaming as loudly as she did. "Why…?"

InuYasha, feeling guilt for a sin he had not committed, looked to the side where the priest had decided to take a seat, knowing that any attempts to escape from the hanyou would be useless. "I didn't do it, I promise you."

He had sounded so convincing, but how could Sango be sure? InuYasha, from what she had seen, did not have any characteristics that would resemble those of a ruthless, savage killer. However, Naraku said…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the hanyou's voice. "What is your relation to Kikyou, Sango?" questioned InuYasha. He was looking at her again, a mix of remorse and pity awash in his golden gaze.

Annoyed that he pitied her, she turned her entire head to the side, not wanting to look at him. "Kikyou was the name of the priestess to whom our village entrusted the Shikon no Tama more than fifty years ago, but at around fifty years ago, the priestess died."

InuYasha gaped at her, golden eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open, as though he had forgotten how to speak. How… how could Kikyou… have_died? 'Fifty years ago?__That can only mean… that I've been under Kikyou's arrow for at least fifty years. But… it feels as though it were yesterday. And even then… how was the arrow taken off?' _InuYasha's mind was in disarray, all his thoughts jumbling together and not making any sense whatsoever.

Sango, who had been pinned down by InuYasha this entire time, was becoming extremely agitated. He hadn't moved at all, and seemed to have been brooding over something without letting her free. _'Not that you can blame him, since you _did_ try to attack him…'_

And what was _that_ all about? From what she gathered, it seemed as though they were all there without really knowing how they had gotten there in the first place. None of them knew what was going on, but somehow, they must have been linked to each other before they all lost their memory, or else they wouldn't have found each other so abruptly.

Looking over at the monk who was sitting across from her, Sango's brows were knit together in concentration. How could the Naraku she knew have cast a curse on his grandfather, if Miroku himself was already about twenty, and Naraku not that much older? _'None of this makes any sense…'_

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Shippou woke with a yawn, stretching his small arms above his head as he took in his surroundings. Where was he? What happened?

A distinct shiver ran up his spine as the image of his father being killed appeared before his eyes, as though in answer to his question. That still, however, did not answer his question as to his whereabouts. _'What is this place? Why do I smell my blood?'_ Looking down at his shirt, he yelped, having seen a large part of it covered in his dried blood.

"Wh-wh-what is this?" he stuttered, terrified at the implications of having seen the dried liquid on him. _'Am I… am I dead?'_

Looking around him more carefully this time, he took note of the birds chirping, the dewy grass beneath him, the trees all around… and the very faint sounds of people talking. He couldn't quite smell them, but he certainly could hear them. _'Do they know anything about this? About what happened to me?'_

An annoying itch began to irk him around his shoulder. Reaching over to his left shoulder with his right arm, he scratched it and, satisfied the itch had been rid of, began to head towards the voices. What he didn't expect, however, was for a flea demon to jump out of his clothing, barking about how youngsters had no respect for the elderly anymore.

Shippou jumped back, hearing the old demon's voice but unable to see him. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there! Uh… where are you?"

To make things easier for the young fox demon, the flea jumped onto his shoulder again, sitting himself down comfortably upon it. "Apology accepted, demon. At least you showed some remorse for your disrespectful manner; I know a certain few that certainly could take a few lessons from you…" he trailed off, grumbling afterwards about rude and bad-mannered hanyous.

After a pause, Shippou decided it would be best to introduce himself first. "Well, my name's Shippou, and I'm a fox demon."

Nodding lightly at the younger demon's show of manners, the flea demon sighed appreciatively. "Ah, what a good day it must be, to see children like you show such fine manners!" He cleared his throat and continued. "My name is Myouga, the flea demon. I am a most loyal and humble servant of Master InuYasha. Have you heard of him, child?"

Shippou shook his head, not having recognized the name. Myouga proceeded.

"Very well. In that case, might you know our whereabouts, young fox?" the flea questioned, obviously as lost about his location as Shippou.

Again, Shippou shook his head. "No, I don't sir, but I hear some voices that don't seem too far away. Do you want to see if they know anything?"

Myouga seemed to ponder the possibilities for a moment. _'On the one hand, those people might not just be people, and instead some ferocious, blood-seeking demon, in which case I wouldn't want to go. On the other hand, they might just know something…'_

Deciding that if it was the former, he could just run away quickly, Myouga took Shippou's offer. "All right, m'boy! Let's go!"

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"So wait, you're telling me that this… Naraku guy–" InuYasha was motioning with his hands, trying to put together what the three had gathered thus far, "–put a curse on _your_ family fifty years ago," he looked to Miroku while saying that, "told_ you_ I killed your family just the other day–" Sango nodded in acknowledgement, "and looks twenty or so? Yeah, that doesn't make much fucking sense to me."

Miroku sighed along with Sango. "Look, InuYasha, I'm not really sure what's happening either, but how is it that we all ended up together? Something crucial is missing, and we can't seem to figure out what."

At his words, InuYasha involuntarily thought of that girl – the one whose cries he had heard in the well – and he suddenly looked guilty. His expression hadn't gone unnoticed by Sango, and it was quickly mentioned. "InuYasha? Why do you look so… sad?"

He looked up, not having realized until too late what he must have looked like. "Err.. nothing. It's nothing." He hid his face, not wanting to be seen. He wanted to just let the subject drop, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from asking the question that had been plaguing his mind. "Have either of you ever heard of a girl named Kagome?"

At that very moment, a redheaded fox child halted to a stop, seemingly having been running to the group. The three looked at him, waiting for him to explain himself, all wondering why he seemed vaguely familiar.

The feeling seemed to have been mutual for the fox, as was apparent when he peered around the group, staring at each one long and hard. He finally cleared his throat and, without another moment's hesitation, introduced himself. "Um, hi. My name's Shippou and I'm a fox demon. I woke up not too far from here, and… I don't really know where I am. I was wondering if you all knew?"

Miroku had been about to answer, when… _something_ jumped out of Shippou and onto InuYasha.

"Master InuYasha! It has been so long since I have last seen you so well! I guess the rumors _were_ true then…" he finished, proudly sitting on the hanyou's shoulder. "Might I have just the tiniest taste?"

InuYasha picked the demon between his index and thumb, sending him a withering glare. "No, you can't have a taste, Myouga. And just what rumors are you talking about?"

Myouga sighed sadly, evidently disappointed with InuYasha's answer. "Fine, fine… I had heard that you were freed of Kikyou's arrow! I wasn't sure if they were true, though, due to the fact that the Fuuin no Ya isn't supposed to be able to be dislodged by anyone save by the person who set it, but–"

"So Kikyou didn't dislodge the arrow?" InuYasha felt his heart drop, realizing that what Sango said earlier must have been true. Kikyou was dead. "Then how…?"

Myouga shrugged, wriggling out of InuYasha's grasp and sitting back down on his shoulder. "I am not sure, InuYasha-sama, but I heard that some other woman with strange clothes did it. Something about her being Kikyou's reincarnation or some such–"

Again, he was interrupted. "What did you say? Kikyou's reincarnation?" InuYasha kept thinking of that girl – that Kagome – and how much she resembled Kikyou. "Explain everything to me," he glared menacingly at the flea, "_now._"

After what seemed to be about an hour of retelling the past fifty years to InuYasha, the hanyou seemed distraught, feeling as though he knew even less than what he started with. _'Maybe…'_

He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Miroku questioned, getting up himself.

"I want to go… check something out," the hanyou answered evasively, not sure whether he would actually reap any results from what he was about to do.

"Check out what? InuYasha, we're all in the same boat here. Just tell us, and we'll go with you!"

A growl escaped the hanyou as another flash of a memory invaded his mind, taking control of every single thought. "Ah… _damn it!" _he screamed, pain enveloping his mind as the memory began to play– as everyone else neared him in concern.

"InuYasha? InuYasha! Are you okay? What's happening?"

He couldn't place the voices– couldn't quite hear or see much of anything except for a girl – Kagome – walking alongside him, when suddenly there was some kind of mountain slide, and that Miroku took her away on some kind of machine…

His concentration was broken, and he was left with a splitting headache and a wisp of a memory.

Looking to Miroku, he seized him by the shoulders and shook him. "Tell me! Do you know a Kagome or not? She's got black hair and brown eyes and–"

Miroku shook him off, looking at InuYasha as though he had gone crazy. "InuYasha, get a grip! What happened to you? Why are you asking me if I know a Kagome?" His violet eyes searched InuYasha's gold ones for answers, but received none.

"I… I don't know. I… I saw you, and you took her. We were on some mountain or something, and then… you.. wanted her for..." He was trying. He really was, but he couldn't seem to place his finger on it. Reaching into the recesses of his mind, seeking the answers he so desired to know, InuYasha found it at last. "You wanted her because she had the jewel! Or, no… she had a portion of the jewel– a large portion, and you only had a shard…"

At that point, the group looked uncertain, staring at InuYasha as though he were mad. Noticing their expressions, he sighed. "Okay, I know… I sound crazy, but–" He cut himself off, sighing once more and turning back. "Look, I'm just going to go and see something, and I'll be right back, all right? Just… stay here." With that, he left.

An awkward silence encompassed the group at InuYasha's departure, until Shippou cleared his throat to speak. "I… I sort of remember a Kagome." He knew he sounded strange, saying this, but he couldn't deny that he _did_ remember something of _some_ Kagome. "She was… nice, I think." Finally, he gave a small chuckle at his own foolishness. "Never mind. I'm not even sure what I'm saying–"

Sango cut him off, a whimsical sort of tone entering her voice. "No, no… I sort of remember a Kagome like that, too. She was sweet, and looked exactly as InuYasha described, and had… strange clothes, I think." She too followed her reminisce with a soft laugh. "But I suppose you're right, Shippou. I am… merely speaking nonsense, I'm sure."

The group returned to silence, all left to their own thoughts. Sango dwelled on the thought of that Kagome, however, as though it made total sense. _'If there was a Kagome, and we're not just all imagining the same person, then maybe there really is more to this than meets the eye…'_

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InuYasha arrived to the spot fairly quickly, searching frantically for the stain of blood on the ground. If that Kagome girl really _was_ the reincarnation of Kikyou, and she was the one who freed him, then maybe that was _her_ blood on the ground.

Finding it, he kneeled over on the ground and sniffed.

'_No,'_ he thought grimly, getting up slowly, _'that isn't Kikyou's blood, but smells a lot like it. Why is this happening? Who is that girl, and why did she free me? More importantly, why is her blood here? What's going on…?'_

In another moment, he was gone.

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When InuYasha finally returned to the group, they were all ready to bombard him with questions, when he looked up, his amber eyes full of a sorrow that none of them wanted to think about.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet, almost timid, but it was evident to everyone that what he was about to say was not open for argument. "I… don't know what's going on. I don't know why I'm here, or why any of you are here, for that matter. I don't know what turn of events led us all together, but I don't want to think about this anymore. Either we stick together as we are right now, or we all leave. I don't really care which one ends up happening, but I'm done with it."

There was a moment of silence. No one screamed or yelled; no one disagreed with InuYasha; no one mentioned their remembering that girl, Kagome…

Miroku spoke up. "I realized earlier that my curse – my kazaana – is closed, which means that Naraku is dead." He let that sink in, especially for Sango, then continued. "In light of that information, I can finally settle down somewhere, so…" He trailed off.

Sango continued where he left off. "If… If Naraku's dead, then I don't really have any where to go to. I mean, my… my family…" A tear slipped quickly down her cheek, but she wiped it away, and they all knew what she meant. "Anyway, I don't really have a home anymore, so I think I'll–"

Shippou cut her off. "My… my papa died, and I need a place to stay, too, so… maybe…?" he trailed off like Miroku, hoping InuYasha understood.

The silver-haired hanyou smirked, despite himself. "Well, then… either follow me or find your own place, but I'm tellin' ya now–" he looked to Shippou when saying this, "–I ain't got much patience for little brats like _you._"

He began to walk off with the others in tow. Myouga had jumped onto Shippou's shoulder after InuYasha's earlier departure, and he couldn't help but wonder at InuYasha's uncharacteristic show of kindness. _'Since when has InuYasha-sama been so kind? It's almost as if… as if he's had a woman's touch! But that… that's preposterous, unless….' _ The flea remembered the girl mentioned earlier, the one with the black hair and the brown eyes– Kagome. _'Unless, of course, his heart remembers what his mind cannot. What a curious thing, indeed…'_

And so, they left.

**Author's Note: **Okay, I know, not as prompt as I would have liked either, but I did finish earlier than last time! And ZOMG! Next chapter is going to be SO exciting to write! After all, next chapter is when we REALLY get into the story. Up until now, this has all been explanation and introduction. Next chapter? We're going to meet up with some very happy, and (I'm sorry) some very angsty moments. It may not be so fun for you guys, but I am going to LOVE next chapter. Actually, here's a secret: it's kinda-sorta-already-half-done. Umm… oops? Haha, but anyway, GAH!! I can't wait to post it! XD

**Author's Note (2): **Oh yeah, some translations.

Fuuin no Ya: check last chapter.

Hanyou: half demon

Kitsune: fox child/demon (I'm not even sure I actually said the word, but whatever)

Anything else? Not really.

**Author's Note (3): **Plee-ee-ee-ea-se review!! I have nearly 600 views on this fanfiction (pretty evenly split with both chapters), but almost NO reviews. Come _on!_ I could use some feedback people! I really like hearing what you all think about the story, speculations about what's going to happen, and all that wonderful stuff! Please indulge me… pretty please?

**Peace out!**

.:.ZG91.:.


	4. Shadow of the Moon

**Disclaimer: **Here I am, _still_ not owning InuYasha! Sigh… if only I did…

**Disclaimer (2): **I also do not own the one or two lines of lyrics I very subtly implemented in the story from the song after which this chapter was named… Mwuahahahaha!

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for your reviews! You really have no idea how much it means to me! This time around, I was actually thinking, "Finish the chapter! Those people are waiting for you!" So you see? Reviews _do_ help.

**Author's Note (2): **Keep in mind that last chapter ended in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine… don't ask about the long phrasing– I'm not all too sure myself.

**Warning: **Lots of angst ahead! Woo-hoo!

**Chapter Four: **Shadow of the Moon

_She was running again, but from what, she wasn't quite certain. The shadows enveloped her mind, bringing her to clamp her eyes shut, determined on seeing nothing around her. Heartbeat pounding in her ears, flashes of memories reeling in her mind, her breathing came in quick, shallow breaths– just enough to keep her moving. Salty tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, her sorrow engulfing her every thought._

_She was frantic. Time was running out, and she knew it. The ghosts that haunted her were all too real– predominating every conscious thought she possessed. _

"_Have to… keep… running…!" Her voice was empty, void of any real feeling save for her rising anxiety– her fear of what was to come. Her breathing was stuttered as she continued panting; gasping for air. The sound of her footfalls steadily weakened as she trudged forward, trying to outrun the demons that plagued the depths of her soul._

_Hours seemed to pass as she did everything her body allowed in order to keep running– running from his smile, his voice, his shy, hesitant laughs… and those golden eyes…_

_She tripped and fell, and without warning, she saw that image of him – the one that was carved into the recesses of her mind – and gasped._

_He was laying there, the scarlet blood that so matched his kimono pooling around him, bathing him in it. She watched, horrified beyond belief, as he weakly tilted his head towards her and smiled– a pitiful smile that beckoned her soul to his._

_Reaching out, she tried to touch his hair, his face– anything. When she finally came close enough to make some kind of contact with him, his golden eyes dulled and lost the soul that had given life to them, and he slowly dissipated into nothingness, leaving her to wallow in her misery one more time…_

Her eyes snapped open, a look of sheer horror writ all over her features. When she finally realized she was awake, Kagome sighed sadly, her hammering heart resounding in her ears. The cool sweat that had perspired on her during her sleep dampened her raven hair and made her look more disheveled than necessary.

Her movements were lethargic, even melancholic. She rose from her bed – the bed that _he_ had slept on so long ago – and gazed longingly out the window towards the well house of her family's shrine– to _that_ place.

The remnants of the dream still lingering in her mind, Kagome closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to sleep a peaceful sleep with peaceful dreams. _'But I guess that won't happen again, will it? It's never happened, not since then…' _She resigned herself, knowing she would never have the beautiful dreams she once had– knowing she would never be able to see _him_ in a better light.

After all, she had been dreaming the same dream for nine years.

Sighing once more, she moved away from the windows, her hand snatching the tear that had been about to fall. It had been the same way for nine years: she would relive her past, mourn her present and regret her future. If that sequence of events didn't take place, it would seem like breaking tradition in her mind.

Suppressing the urge to break down and cry, Kagome quietly dressed herself. _'That's right, Kagome– put on that nice red tank top there with that pressed white skirt. If _he_ saw you, _he_ would probably be pleasantly surprised.'_

Shuddering slightly at the thought of those eyes – those golden eyes that so haunted her dreams – Kagome slipped on a pair of neat, black sandals and ambled out of her room.

Souta was in the hall when she got out, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he yawned. He was finally a senior at his school this year – a fact that became increasingly difficult for Kagome to believe every day that passed – though he retained his inveterate tendency of tardiness. It was the only reason Kagome bothered to get up in the morning– to see her brother and talk to him a little every day, since he didn't get home until very late, due to his part-time job and soccer practice. He wouldn't leave until later on anyway, and Kagome was determined to fully cherish the time she had with her loved ones as long as she could. She would never take anyone for granted again…

Shaking herself a bit and putting on a happy face – that façade that had become second nature to Kagome – Kagome smiled at Souta and hugged him. "Good morning, Souta! How are you feeling?"

Hugging her back sleepily, he nearly collapsed on her despite the fact he was almost twice her size. "I'm fi–ine," he responded, his reply stretched as he yawned again. "How–" a yawn interrupted him, "Mm. How are you?"

Every morning it happened, and every morning, she learned to get over it. That one, simple question always seemed so hard for her to answer, because it was the one time every day she bothered to lie– and, well, she really hated lying. "I'm… I'm fine! So when do you think you'll be home tonight?" she skirted any need to elaborate on her answer quite nicely, she reasoned.

"Eh, probably around the same time as usual– nine or so…"

"Ah…" she replied, expected disappointment befalling her once more. "Well, if you come home earlier, let me know beforehand! I'll make you a special dinner, okay?"

He smiled at her, giving her one last squeeze before leaving to the bathroom. "Thanks, sis. I'll try to make it home just a little earlier, all right? Just for you."

She smiled at his retreating form, allowing herself the small peace she greedily took every day. If nothing else, she still had her mother and brother. Her grandfather had passed some years before, towards the end of 2004, when she was just finishing her studies in college. She had been devastated at the event and had refused to come out of her room for days. His death was to be expected, she had known, but still– when it actually happened, she had felt herself deteriorate all over again…

Going down the steps with a lethargic gait, Kagome saw her mother in the kitchen making some kind of delicious breakfast, as was her custom every morning. Greeting her mother when she arrived at the bottom of the steps, she embraced her, relishing in the feeling of security and protection she provided by simply returning the gesture.

"Good morning, dear. How do you feel?" her mother asked seemingly nonchalantly.

She was the only one that had some semblance of what turmoil was raging in her daughter's heart. She had known since the beginning– ever since she had found Kagome screaming and crying at the bottom of the well house, repeating InuYasha's name and how he broke his word– how he didn't love her anymore, because he couldn't remember…

_She had been calmly washing the dishes after the rain had stopped, when she seemed to have heard screaming coming from outside. Alarmed, she ran out the door, trying to trace the source of the sound. Deciding it was coming from the well house and that it sounded uncannily like Kagome, she rushed over…_

"_Kagome?" she cried, frantic, hearing her daughter wailing and screaming, though she couldn't see her. "Kagome, where are you?"_

"_He doesn't love me! Why do I love him? Why do I–"_

_Hearing the echoes from the well, Mrs. Higurashi looked over the rim of the well and saw her daughter – her precious, dearest Kagome – sprawled on the ground in a pathetic heap, dirty and blood-stained, her ankle twisting in a direction that was doubtlessly painful with a shin the size of a balloon. Without a second thought, she jumped over carefully, figuring it was crucial not to twist or break anything herself, and hurried over to her daughter._

"_Kagome… Kagome! What's wrong? What happened? Please, Kagome, tell me what's wrong!" she pleaded, tears of her own starting to form as her daughter continued to scream and cry, as though she hadn't even noticed her own mother's presence._

"_I-InuYasha… Inu… InuYasha! Why did you forget? You told me to promise you, InuYasha! You told me to _promise! _How could you…?" she continued to bluster in a blur of sound and tears._

_Unsure of what to do, not really certain if anything was even going to work, Mrs. Higurashi wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders while kneeling on the ground, so that Kagome's body was leaning against hers, her daughter's matted, raven locks under her chin. "Shh… darling, please, stop crying… I'm…"_

_What was she, exactly? Sorry about whatever had happened to her daughter? Surely, that must have been an understatement. Judging from her daughter's behavior and appearance, something big happened– something absolutely devastating. That in mind, she realized, a grim expression marring her countenance, she would just soothe her child as long as she needed to, figuring there was nothing more she could really do._

"_He– He doesn't love me! He doesn't care about me! He doesn't _remember_ me! How…? Why…? What did I do? Why do I still love you, InuYasha? _Why do I still love you?"_ Kagome raged, grasping her mother's clothes in fistfuls, her tears streaming onto her mother's neck and collarbone, her nose running all over her mother's blouse._

"_Shh," her mother began once more, rubbing her daughter's back gently, her own tears coursing down her pale cheeks, "my darling Kagome, please stop crying. Your mama's here now, and I love you so much…"_

"I'm… fine," Kagome answered edgily, not making eye contact with her mother, knowing any attempt to lie was futile anyway.

Shaken out of her reverie, Mrs. Higurashi smiled sadly at her daughter. "That's… good to hear, Kagome. I'm… glad."

The charade seemed endless, but Kagome refused to let it stop. _'I just… need more time,' _was the automated defense and, not for the first time, she doubted herself. _'Yeah, right…'_

Glancing up at her mother, who calmly continued making breakfast and fulfilling all the small chores that needed to be done in the kitchen, Kagome coughed delicately, earning the attention she desired. "May I be excused from breakfast? I would like to… pray right now."

Mrs. Higurashi pasted on a tolerant smile on her face– a smile that, predictably enough, did not reach her eyes. "Of course you may, Kagome, but make sure to eat something later, okay?"

Nodding her consent, Kagome made her way out of the house and into the bright morning sunshine.

It was the excuse she gave every day, really. Her mother knew, of course, that Kagome didn't go to the shrine for the purpose of praying, although she did pray most times. In part, she went there to take care of the well house and the shrine, not wanting it to deteriorate. That incentive came in after the death of her grandfather, however, feeling that it was one of the last connections that kept him so close to her heart. In truth, most of her went to the shrine in the hopes of seeing _him_ again.

She went there every day, never missing for any reason. Never caring if it stormed, hailed or snowed, Kagome went to the well house, dropping to the bottom of the well every day to check and see if maybe, just maybe, that would be the day…

Arriving at her destination, Kagome kneeled before the actual shrine, deciding today would be another one of the days she prayed. Bowing her head in respect, she silently uttered the words that always seemed to come to her, but ones she had not thought of herself… _'May you find the love that so captivated you once more, and may you one day remember all that you have lost, InuYasha…'_

Finishing the prayer with another bow and clasp of her hands, Kagome quickly rose and made for the shed a little way away from the shrine. Her heart throbbed as unwanted memories pillaged the defenses her mind had carefully constructed, breaking the feeble hold she had on her rampant emotions as images of _him_ hit her all too quickly– as the faint sounds of laughter and better days echoed all around her.

Tears trickled softly down her cheeks as a sad smile made its way to her lips, an air of defeat surrounding her gently, embracing every fiber of her being. She grabbed the broom leaning against the wooden wall of the shed and walked back outside into the morning sun, ready to sweep around the shrine.

She started humming softly, an eerie melody filling the air around her. "Feel no sorrow, feel no pain; feel no hurt, there's nothing gained…" was her idle chant, the tears never ceasing, "Only love will then remain…"

After sweeping and pushing aside whatever leaves had fallen from the trees the night before, Kagome placed the broom back in the shed, finally making her way over to the well house.

Sliding the wooden doors open and closing them shut upon entering the place, Kagome sank to her knees as she did almost every day, already physically and mentally drained. Her eyes drifted closed as she thought of the past nine years– how her once blooming, more or less purposeful life had been reduced to nothing.

She really had tried to get over it. Though she probably hadn't been in the ideal state of mind – having fallen into lapses where she recounted times with InuYasha without ever having noticed – she continued her studies, finished high school, attempted to live that normal life she had so coveted when the adventure had first begun…

It hadn't taken her much time to realize her endeavors were absolutely fruitless– completely inane.

She went to all her high school classes, never missing a day; never falling ill. In her restless, broken mind, a distraction was as dear to her as the air she breathed. Throughout her remaining schooling, she overloaded herself with as much as had been possible: taking the hardest classes, joining an unadvisable number of clubs, participating in every school event, trying out for every sport she could…

To any onlooker, Kagome appeared to be the hardest worker and most dedicated student. To herself, she was nothing more than a desperate girl looking for a reason not to think about InuYasha and all that had happened.

Maybe if she didn't dream that dream every night, she could have gotten over him. Maybe if she didn't have to see those eyes that haunted her so cruelly every waking moment, her heart might have healed– might have overcome the adversities that had been so mercilessly tossed at her. Maybe if she hadn't fallen so deeply in love with him back then, she could have loved another. As it was, however, she had been trapped in a never-ending sorrow, the love she had thought to be so sincere and beautiful now nothing more than the chain that bound her to her misery.

After high school, she had gone off to college, making it into Tokyo University, what with her outstanding achievements and everything, and completed two majors. She had decided to study history, specifically that of the Warring States Era in Japan, along with cultural studies, figuring it would be the next best thing.

She smiled faintly– a smile that held no humor at all; a smile that was devoid of even the smallest wisp of happiness, all the while she remembered…

_She would go every day, never caring about her mother's warnings that it wasn't good for her; that she shouldn't…_

_Every day she went and closed the doors behind her, always making sure that no one would come and disturb her– wanting to make sure that no one would take her away._

_And really, she only feared that because they _had _tried to take her away._

_After her grandfather had found out, he had taken it upon himself to try to close the well. His main reason for doing this was because he had been seeing Kagome with dirty, and sometimes even scraped knees for a good few months, but he had never known why. His daughter had finally told him – albeit, vaguely – about what had happened to Kagome, his beloved granddaughter._

_It had been nearly impossible to stop him, but he had finally relented in his plan to close the well. What had convinced him were his granddaughter's tears– her look of sheer horror when he had explained what he was about to do in the well house._

_That day, long after her grandfather had left and she had pushed back her fearful tears, Kagome had carried on with her daily tradition, hope filling her heart as it always had when she plunged down…_

…_and disappearing as it always did when she hit the cold, solid earth._

_She had sighed and let a few tears slip, her heart breaking more with every drop. She had sat down calmly and made herself comfortable against the wall of the well, stretching her legs, wrapping her arms around her middle and letting her head fall back against the hard wood._

_And then she began to recite the events of her day, as she had accustomed herself to doing, ever in the hopes that her voice would reach him._

_It had been strange, that day. Although she did what she always had – at least, what she had been doing since the day everything went wrong – something was different. After having taken a pause in telling the dealings of her day, Kagome had thought she heard the faintest rustling of clothes… a sigh…_

_She had bolted to the ground, pressing her ear as close as she could against the earth, her heart lodged in her throat. Another sigh…_

_Her heart was racing, her mind screaming at her, telling her she wasn't hearing anything– that she shouldn't raise her hopes so high. Pressing her head even closer to the ground, she heard nothing._

_Tears moistened the soil beneath her, her head never moving. She waited for what was probably a couple of hours, desperately, despairingly. Much to her dismay, only her sobs echoed in her ears…_

Shaking her head slightly at the saddening memory, Kagome rose from her place on the ground, wringing her hands as she neared the lip of the well.

Although she had jumped down the well every day since she lost _him_, today seemed different. There was a certain anxiety in her heart – a certain dread – that she just couldn't shake off. Unsure as to why she felt so antsy, Kagome walked more slowly than ever towards the well.

Was she afraid of disappointment? Did she think she couldn't handle the pain one more time?

She fell to her knees in front of the well, her hands clasping onto the brim, just like she had that fateful day. _'No,' _she told herself wearily, trying once more to convince herself of the lie, _'I can handle it– I'm okay. This isn't different from any other day. Even if I don't make it through, I'll be okay…'_

A pang shot through her heart the likes of which she hadn't quite felt in years. It was painful, to have to remember– to remember _his_ name, _his _voice, _his_ golden eyes… Everything about _him_ sent daggers to her heart – her poor, bleeding heart – and then she realized: if she failed just once more, she really, truly would break. She'd never be the same again…

Gathering her courage, she stood up. She knew this was the final time. After this, she would never – no, she _could_ never – try again. _'Still… what if today's the day I get back to _him_?_ _What if today's the day I'll be… saved?'_

In a moment, she jumped over.

Eyes closed, heart throbbing, body shaking– Kagome was nothing short of frantic. This time, if she didn't make it over, it absolutely _would_ be the end of her.

She landed.

Not wanting to open her eyes, not wanting to see where she was, Kagome kept her eyes closed. She listened quietly to her heart breaking for the final time; listened attentively as she heard her soul tearing; paid the closest attention as she took in the sound of…

Song?

Her eyes snapped open.

A sob– no, not a sob: a cry– no, not quite that either– spilled off Kagome's lips as she saw vines in front of her, a single, tiny butterfly her company. Her body was shaking beyond her control, hands quaking as she reached for the closest vine, heart ready to burst as her mind raced for answers.

Gripping the vine with all her might, she pulled herself up one step at a time, sunlight hitting her as she reached the top of the well.

Hauling herself up, Kagome sat on the brim of the well, savoring the feel of the place, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she truly smile for the first time in nine years. She looked about her, taking in the verdant fields and blooming flowers, delighting in the feel of the warm sun, taking pleasure in the beautiful sound of song.

After what might have been hours – or perhaps they were only minutes? – Kagome rose from her place, standing tall and feeling like nothing could be better. She walked forward, heading to the one place she knew she had to see– Goshinboku.

Upon arriving, she climbed the tree's roots, placing her hands on that spot– the spot to which InuYasha had been pinned over sixty years before.

She heard a rustling to her left, and she turned to meet the intruder that would dare interrupt her rediscovery. No one came out, and a small shiver raced up and down her spine. Who was there?

Stepping off the roots of Goshinboku, Kagome ambled to the place in which she presumed the intruder to be. As she neared the area, a man jumped out at her, and she screamed.

He was an ordinary villager, she figured, but why was he attacking her?

"What are you–!"

She felt herself being tied, despite her valiant struggle against her captor. Before she could finish her question, a hand clamped over her mouth. Alarmed, she tried to wriggle herself out of the man's clutches, but to no avail. After so many years of inactivity, Kagome had lost most of the strength she once possessed. She was still in shape, but nowhere near as strong as she used to be– nothing like she was back in those days.

Before she knew what was really happening, Kagome felt something hit her head hard, and she blacked out.

**ººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººº**

Her eyes fluttered open softly, and before her eyes brought her surroundings into focus, she took note of her head-splitting headache. When she tried to reach up to touch the back of her head where she figured she had been hit, she realized her hands were tied. More alarming still was the knowledge that her feet, too, were bound.

Sitting up as best as she could, Kagome looked all around her, her head pounding more with every passing minute. Her eyes fell on a group of rough looking men who all seemed to be talking to someone behind them.

'_Am I dreaming…? Am I even really here? Maybe I just hit the bottom of the well really hard, blacked out, and this is all some dream…' _As much as she tried to convince herself of that, however, she knew it was a lie. It couldn't be a dream, simply because her curse wouldn't desert her, and no matter the day, she would always dream the same dream…

And then, everything happened all at once.

There was a loud yell – _'It couldn't be…'_ – and a figure leaped over the crowd of villagers, landing right in front of her.

"But… my lord! Just _look _at her! She must be a spy! Do you not see her strange attire? We must kill h–"

"Will you just _shut_ the _fuck_ up? _Damn!_"

She could have sworn her heart stopped beating.

She looked up.

_He_ was looking right at her, golden eyes and all.

"I… Inu… Yasha?"

**Author's Note (3): **Okay, so this took longer than I thought. I think I actually worked on this chapter a total of four days, but the problem was that I couldn't find time to actually work on it. Those four days were _very_ far and between, let me tell you! In any case though, thank you to all those of you who reviewed! It's because of you all that I actually finished this chapter. With every review comes more incentive to write, trust me! When you help me, you help yourselves. It's a wonderful cycle, if we just all put our part. In any case though, let me know what y'all think, and stay tuned for more! (And for those of you who didn't, read the second author's note! It's important!)

Peace and love!

.:.ZG91.:.


	5. Windmills

**Disclaimer: **I do not and never will own InuYasha. _Fin._

**Author's Note: **Thank you all so much for your support! I feel incredibly awful for the time I've made you wait for this chapter, and well… I'll explain why later. Just please know that I really do appreciate everything you guys have done for me, and with that… read on!

**Chapter Five: **Windmills

The villagers waited for him to give the word– to tell them to kill the strangely clad intruder.

The order never came.

He stared at her insipidly, giving no sign of recognition. His golden eyes looked emptier than she remembered, with a hollowness that she couldn't quite recall since the first time they had met.

"InuYasha…"

He turned away from her, towards the villagers, an angry scowl making its way to his face. "Which one of you thought it would be a fan-fucking-tastic idea to kill her again? I think I need my memory jogged."

The village men all took a step backwards despite the fact that they were already a way away from the hanyou, looking to each other and shouting blames. It had been many years since InuYasha had looked as surly as he sounded, and they dared not try his temper.

Noting their cowardice, InuYasha growled, making his way towards the villagers. "All right, fine! Don't wanna 'fess up, huh? That's just fine, but if I find out who the idiot that suggested that is, I promise I'll fucking slit his throat for what he said." His voice was low, menacing, and dripping with barely-suppressed fury. "Now get your sorry asses out of my sight! I'm not in the mood for spineless wimps like you all right now…"

Without a moment's hesitation, the villagers were speedily exiting the clearing in the forest, bumping into each other clumsily and trying to hurry themselves out. None wanted to fall victim to InuYasha's sudden rage.

They were all quickly gone and out of sight, leaving InuYasha alone with the presumed spy. He sighed before he turned back to her, his body seeming to lose the deftness in its movements, his shoulders slumping forward the smallest bit. His ears twitched backwards slightly when Kagome tried to readjust herself, and finally, he turned to her.

Maybe she had been expecting the same indifference he had offered her before; the same void in his gaze that left her feeling uneasy. Perhaps she had been readying herself for a bit of a rant from him– accusation or suspicion in his tone when he spoke to her. Whatever she had been expecting, however, it was certainly not at all anything like the man that stood before her.

He looked at her sadly, gently. His amber gaze pierced right through her, making her feel as though he could read her every thought– was able to reach even the deepest recesses of her soul. His somewhat weary appearance lent him an air of defeat, as though he had lost something he had tried so hard to find; as though the prize at the end of his quest was just beyond his grasp.

When he spoke, his voice was soft and understanding, and it was almost more than Kagome could handle. "I know you..." he trailed off, his words dying on his lips. He stared in that all too unsettling way of his, stilling whatever speech Kagome might have been able to conjure.

InuYasha seemed mesmerized by the sight of her, never so much as blinking. Hundreds of emotions flickered through his gaze too quickly for Kagome to decipher, and he finally spoke again, confusion evident in his tone. "I've smelled your scent before, seen your face in dreams… or memories… I can't even really be sure which." He was looking at her the whole time he spoke, and he lowered himself to the ground, sitting himself in front of her. "I _know_ you, but I don't know how."

He paused, though his eyes never left hers. "Who are you?"

A lump rose in her throat, threatening to choke her, and she felt the warmth of the familiar prick behind her eyes. "I…" a tear slipped down her cheek as her eyes probed his, seemingly incapable of escaping his golden gaze. "I… m-my name is…"

_He was still bound to the tree, his eyes glowing with hatred. He shot her a scathing glare before speaking, his tone dripping with venom. "Really Kikyou… I'm disappointed…" _

_Her patience finally snapped, and she picked herself up as quickly as humanly possible, her irritation on the verge of anger. "I don't know who this "Kikyou" is… except that she's _not_ me!"_

"_Feh!" he scoffed, his golden stare cutting through her. "Do you expect me to believe that I wouldn't know the _stench _of the girl who…"As though something had suddenly hit him, he leaned a little closer to Kagome. "Hmm…" After a moment's pause, his eyes grew wide with astonishment. "You're… _not_ her!_

_Still irritated, Kagome let out a small huff. "Get it now? My name's Kagome! Ka-go-me!"_

Kagome pushed the nagging memory aside, sighing as her gaze skittered away. She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him her name, not when he had told her he loved her the last time she saw him– not when he had held her so dearly to his heart back then.

Bowing her head slightly, Kagome opened her mouth to tell InuYasha that she was unable to answer his question. A warm hand stopped her, however, holding her cheek delicately, the pad of a thumb wiping away the stray tear that had fallen. Looking up, Kagome saw InuYasha's eyes awash with pain, a hint of remembrance lurking in the depths thereof.

"Inu–?"

"Keh! Don't cry, wench." He muttered gruffly, catching another stray tear that had fallen and looked at it for a moment, annoyance etched in every line on his face. Something like a grunt escaped him, and he finally rose to his knees in front of her, flexing his claws.

His show of tenderness, though hidden by his rough exterior, touched her deeply as a pang of longing, of nostalgia, shot through her, drawing the softest whimper from her lips. She lowered her head once more, the unyielding memories too much for her to bear. _'Why is this happening…? Why am I even here? It hurts so much just to see him, and yet…'_

And yet, seeing those golden orbs of his – the same eyes that haunted her dreams; chilled her to the core – warmed her heart in such a way that she couldn't help but feel happier than she had in far longer than she cared to recall.

Before she could ask any questions, InuYasha muttered, "This'll take a second," moments before she felt the fabricated breeze formed by the hanyou slashing his claws through the ropes that bound her. It all happened so quickly that Kagome had to admit she was a little stunned and, though she wasn't at all afraid, felt the rising urge to berate InuYasha for his show of carelessness.

She stood up brusquely, making quick work of dusting the dirt off her once-white skirt and straightening her red tank top. After assuring herself that she was as tidy as she could have been given the circumstances, she turned to pin InuYasha with a look meant to kill. He didn't seem to notice as he stood up in much the same fashion she had, dusting off his robes as best he could before having the grace to smile slightly at her.

That is, of course, before he realized she was glaring daggers at him.

A trace of fear passed over his features before his face contorted into a marked scowl, his eyes lighting with as much bemusement as trepidation. "Oi, wench! What are you lookin' at me like that for?"

Unimpressed by his show of bravado, Kagome slowly made her way to him and, before allowing him the chance to pull away, she tugged at the two locks of silver hair hanging by the sides of his face, tightening her grip as he realized she was less than pleased. "You know, wench, you might want to–"

"_Baka!_" she shouted, yanking his hair closer to make her point clear. Too many feelings were warring inside her, fighting for dominance as she struggled to reign in her temper. Too many years had passed since she had properly seen him, touched him, and now that she could, he wasn't even able to remember her name. Confusion gave way to melancholy; melancholy gave way to frustration; frustration gave way to anger, and InuYasha's latest stunt toppled her already precarious hold on her emotions over the edge.

"All right, wench, that's about enough of–"

"Did you even _realize_ that you could have _killed_ me?" Her eyes seemed to darken as her temper spiked, and her glare, if possible, turned even more menacing. "You have razor-sharp claws, you _baka!_ I'm a _human, _remember?"

A small growl escaped InuYasha as heat stole up his cheeks, staining his skin as red as his haori at the perceived insult. "Yeah, I _know_ you're a pathetic human, _wench_," he bit out, his tone leaving no doubt in her mind that he was far beyond irritated, too. "In case you didn't notice – not that I'd blame you, since you're pathetic _and_ stupid – I'm inu-hanyou. I can smell your nasty stench a mile away, if I wanted to– which I _don't._"

Kagome's normally serene countenance reddened with indignant rage, her eyes boring holes into his skull. Opening her mouth to yell at him some more, she stopped mid-word, and huffed a long, pronounced sigh, crossing her arms in front of her chest, turning on her heel and stomping off.

Stupefied by her decision not to rake him over the coals for something that was, in his opinion, completely absurd, InuYasha stood there, gawking at the upset woman.

She stopped in her gait, glancing back at the gaping hanyou with a distinctly devious glint in her eyes. "Hey, InuYasha! Are you going to stand around drooling all day?"

Sputtering as her question evoked his notorious temper once again, he made his way over to her, sending her a scathing glare before speaking. "Drooling? Keh! As if I drool! Listen, wench," he argued, golden eyes ablaze with hardly-contained anger, "before you start running your mouth on some load of crap, let me remind you that it was because of _me_ that you didn't get killed back there, you got that? And for the record, in case I didn't make it clear enough, I _don't_ drool. You understand? I don't."

Sparing him a look as his countenance contorted into a mulish pout, she nearly laughed outright at the sheer number of times she'd seen that expression. _'If I got a dime for every time he did that…' _Coughing softly as she turned to look at him, Kagome was barely able to hide the smile that twitched on the corners of her lips. "It's all right, InuYasha, I know you don't drool… most of the time."

Rounding an incredulous stare at the woman he perceived to be the most irritating being on the face of the earth, his voice dropped to an almost-menacing timbre. "Wench…"

She giggled lightly then sighed, her gaze dropping as she ambled forward, maintaining her pace with his. "I was just teasing InuYasha. It's just…" she trailed off, her unmasked sadness cutting him more than he cared to admit. Who was this woman, really?

"''It's just'… what?" InuYasha prodded, his curiosity unyielding to the silence she provided. "You can't just start a sentence like that and not finish it, wench!"

She made a face at him as they continued walking, the blush stealing up her cheeks despite her valiant struggle to keep it down. "Well, it's just–" She cut herself off once more, much to InuYasha's frustration.

"Just _what?"_

At her lack of a response, InuYasha sped up and whipped around on her, stopping her in her tracks. He was obviously annoyed, she could tell, but that didn't really provide her enough incentive to tell him what she was thinking.

Golden eyes piercing through her as she was forced to look at him, she felt as though he could reach into her soul and hear her deepest secrets; her heartbroken sorrows… "Look, girl, you'd damn well better tell me what the hell it is you were about to say, because I swear if you don't, I'll just have to fucking–"

For some reason he couldn't understand, Kagome had tears in her eyes again, and the hanyou had to wonder just what it was he could have said to trigger it. The sight of this girl in tears had the power set InuYasha's nerves on edge, and he didn't like it– not at all. "W-why are you crying _again_, wench?"

"It's been nine years, you know?"

Stunned silent by her quiet words, InuYasha stared at her: head down, bangs covering her eyes, and an unbearably sad aura surrounding her small frame. Closing his eyes as he heaved a sigh, he clumsily pulled her towards him, awkwardly hugging her but comforting her all the same. _'Why am I doing this? I don't even know this girl…'_

Not that he really took that statement to heart, but still… it didn't make any sense. Why did she make him feel so at ease?

"It was nine years ago the last time I saw you. I thought… I thought I would never see you again," she mumbled into his haori, the sound of it muffled by the cloth.

He let go of her, wanting to ask her for more information, wanting –no, needing– to know what it was that happened; needing to know why everything felt unreal…

Kagome smiled a gentle smile, a bittersweet thing that made InuYasha's heart beat a little bit faster… or was he imagining it? _'That smile… she looks so… beautiful…'_

And suddenly his eyes began to hurt, his head began to ache, and his heart began to shatter once more. Before he could properly assess the situation, he was thrown into a time and space with which he was unfamiliar– where dreams and fairytales still rang true.

_Straining his eyes to open, InuYasha looked at Kagome as though he had never truly seen her before. Raven locks cascading gently over her arms, creamy skin glowing in the warm light of the sun, sparkling tears revealing her heart as his name spilled off her lips time and again…_

_He had never seen her more beautiful…_

"InuYasha? InuYasha! InuYasha, what's wrong with you? InuYasha, wake up!" her words were pleading, worried. Her voice cracked, and he could feel warm hands cupping his face.

_'Her voice… she's calling my name again…'_

'_Did you realize? She never forgot…'_

'_Never forgot… what?'_

"InuYasha!"

His eyes slowly opened only to reveal that girl – Kagome was her name – before him, her eyes filled to the brim with tears and her hands gently holding his face while he lay sprawled on the ground.

Instinct taking over before his heart could have a say, he pushed her away firmly but gently, his voice nearly thundering. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kagome? I'm fine, all right? You see me? I'm just _fine!"_

She gasped lightly as a hand flew to her mouth, the other to her chest. He came to the conclusion that just about everything surprised this girl.

"You… you said my name!" Her tone was ecstatic at best, and her eyes were glittering with unshed tears though now glowing to the core with joy.

Running short on insults, InuYasha fumbled for words. "No–I–Y-yeah, well… what of it, bitch? Can't help it if I remember things with a bad tune to 'em…" Without warning, the hanyou picked himself up from the ground, lightly dusting his hands in the process. He walked off, never looking back to see if Kagome was following or not.

Piqued at InuYasha's less-than-gracious name for her, Kagome immediately stood up, annoyed that he'd insult her and then have the nerve to just leave her there. Walking slightly faster than normal, Kagome caught up with the silver-haired hanyou, casting him a withering glare, unbeknownst to him.

"Listen here you jerk! You have _no_ right to call me that name! It's rude, impolite, and downright immature! Besides," she maintained, taking in some extra air so as to emphasize her statement, "you stopped calling me those names long ago! So don't you start again with your stupid–"

"Yeah, yeah, all right, wench. Listen: if I can't remember the deal, don't go asking for a bargain, all right? I'll damn well call you a bitch if I fucking feel like it, no questions asked."

Mouth dropping open as she openly scowled at him, her normally bright countenance took on a darker look, which should have properly informed him of his imminent comeuppance, had he been looking. She planted herself in front of him, staring at him through angry brown eyes, displeasure written all over her face.

In the back of his mind, he could hear warning bells going off, screaming at him to get the hell out of there. The look in her eyes promised more pain than it was worth, but... _'How would I know what that look meant? Damn, if only I could remember–!'_

"InuYasha..." The warning bells were nearly falling off their hinges now, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember why...

...And just as she drew in her next breath, it hit him, why he should have gotten the hell out of there. A splitting headache ravaged his mind as an onslaught of images hit him all too quickly– countless images of his face meeting dirt as a single word ran through his mind…

"Osuwari!"

Slamming into the ground with unimaginable force, InuYasha uttered a growl that went unheard as it was stifled by the earth beneath him. Unable to pick himself up, InuYasha's temper soared, his ire directed at the gloating woman before him.

"Got a date with the dirt, dog-boy?"

Craning his neck to look at her, his growl escalated at the self-satisfied smirk on her face, the light in her eyes positively glowing with her perceived victory. "K-keh! You wait, wench! I'll fucking hand you over to those damn villagers, see if I don't!"

She snorted indelicately, whipping around and striding towards the village, not even sparing him a second glance. "Yeah, whatever, InuYasha. You do that– if you can get up from there. I wonder if they'll think you've been digging holes or something…"

Her laughter rang back to him, and he grimaced inwardly, knowing he'd lost that round for sure.

'_At least she's not crying, right?'_

'_Keh! Like I care if she's crying or not!'_

'_Yeah, whatever. Stung your pride, maybe, but she didn't say anything that you didn't deserve for calling her a bitch.'_

'_I damn well wouldn't call her a bitch if she fucking didn't act like one!'_

'_Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. Ignorance really must be bliss, huh?'_

'_Keh!'_

'_Yeah, that's what I thought…'_

Growling to himself at his youkai's words, InuYasha trudged behind the nuisance of a woman, clamping his mouth closed before he said something that pissed her off and sent him kissing dirt again. Still…

Gazing at the woman before him, with her laughter, her tears, and her beautiful smile, a small pang shot through InuYasha, something both painful and beautiful– something that made him feel more complete than he had in a very long time.

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Breathing in deeply as she braced herself for what was to come, Kagome slowly took the step that separated her from the thatch curtain that served as the entrance to Kaede's hut. Her hand was poised midair, ready to grab the drapery, but sheer panic stopped her. During the short walk that separated them from the village – and after InuYasha had properly restrained his temper – the hanyou had mentioned that his companions were in the hut of the head priestess, Kaede.

A nagging suspicion convinced her to ask him the professions of his companions, to which he replied that they were a woman, a man and a youth, and that they were a demon exterminator, a monk and a young fox, respectively. Kagome had barely been able to suppress the whimper that threatened to escape her at the knowledge that her friends were alive and well, too.

Now, however, facing the flimsy barrier that separated her from her once family-like friends, her body nearly trembled with fear. What if they looked at her with suspicion in their eyes, distrust in their gaze? She sighed, her shoulders slumping at her lack of faith. _'They trusted me once, who's to say they'll treat me any differently now…?'_

"Somethin' the problem, wench?" InuYasha questioned, evidently irritated with her indecision. He stood behind her, tapping his foot impatiently, his arms crossed over his chest.

She slowly shook her head in response when she looked back at him, her eyes telling InuYasha what her body so adamantly denied. She was scared, and though he was tempted to ask her why she felt that way, he'd be damned before he made her more upset than she already was.

Pinning her with a look that cut right to the chase, one that told her just what he thought of her attempt at lying, InuYasha sighed and made to grab for the thatch screen.

Gathering what little pluck she still possessed, Kagome quickly pulled open the curtain before InuYasha could, walking inside as she heard her heart pounding in her ears.

Four heads turned at her entrance, four pairs of eyes following her every movement. As quickly as her momentary courage came, it left, and she was left standing stock-still at the entrance, inadvertently making InuYasha run into her. "Oi, wench! What the fuck was that f–"

The monk stood up and quickly made his way to Kagome, kneeling before her and grasping her hand in his. "My, my… what a beautiful woman! Such beauty must certainly belong to only the most cunning of women, I hope? That in mind, good woman, would you care to bear my child?"

More of a sudden reaction than a conscious decision, Kagome wrapped her arms around Miroku in a friendly hug as she burst into tears. "Oh, Miroku! I didn't think I'd ever hear you say that again! I didn't think–"

A sudden hand on her shoulder stopped her blubbering as a low growl erupted behind her and a loud slap resounded in her mind. Knowing exactly where the growling was coming from and identifying the owner of that slap before she bothered to look, Kagome's heart clenched painfully as a surge of days long past filled her, rattled her mind.

"Keep your fucking hands off her, monk! Ain't you got better stuff to do than to grovel to every woman that walks in this kami-forsaken hut? _Damn!"_ he grouched, gently but firmly leading Kagome over to the raised platform next to the pit for the fire. Sitting down and forcing her to sit down with him, InuYasha shoved his arms in his sleeves, shooting the monk a baleful glower.

A nervous chuckle escaped the man in question, his right hand rubbing the stinging flesh of his cheek. "Ha, ha… well, how can a man such as I be to blame? Certainly one such as yourself, InuYasha, can understand the trials a man has to suffer in the presence of such a beautiful woman."

"Miroku…"

The menacing tone of the woman beside him sent his hairs on end, and he turned to her, grasping both of her palms in his own. "Oh, but Sango! Surely you know that my heart belongs to you, and to you alone! While my flesh might betray me, dear Sango, you must know that my soul's devotion lies solely in your hands…" That said, he forced one of her hands on his tender cheek and rubbed it against him softly.

A snort escaped the reddish brown-haired youth sitting nearby Sango, his arm hanging limply over his raised knee. "Give it up, Miroku. You've been trying to woo Sango for years, and it hasn't worked. Why not go after someone else?"

Kagome's eyes rounded with wonder as she realized who, exactly, the youth was. Standing up slowly, ignoring the questions in InuYasha's eyes as he wondered just what it was she was doing, Kagome strode over to Shippou, kneeling down in front of him.

"Well, Shippou, a man such as myself must always persevere in what he perceives to be–"

"Shippou?" Kagome asked tentatively, raising a hand to cup one of Shippou's cheeks. Her eyes were rounded in wonder, brimming with unshed tears.

"W-w-what are you doing?" the youth stammered, heat stealing up his cheeks and staining his skin a pink hue. "Why are you–?"

Before he could finish his questions, Kagome wrapped her arms around him in much the same fashion as she had Miroku, hugging him fiercely as her tears welled and fell over, dampening the cloth on the kitsune's shoulder. "Shippou, I can't believe it! It's you! It's really, really you! How… when did you get so _big?_" Kagome asked as she leaned back, taking in the man before her.

Shippou blushed all the more profusely at her question, his right hand scratching the back of his neck nervously. "U-uh… I'm sorry but… who.. are you?"

Kagome sucked in a harsh breath, forgetting all to quickly that her comrades – her friends – had not remembered who she was, not even so much as remembering her name. So caught up in the familiarity of it all, in the comfort their company provided, Kagome had simply forgotten, hadn't she, that they didn't remember her; not at all…

A tear streaked down her cheek as a watery smile broke over her gentle features, the light of the late afternoon sun filtering through the roof of the hut and lending her a delicate glow. "I… I'm sorry. I-I…" her speech faltered as a lump rose in her throat, very aware of the fact that the attention of everyone in the room was focused on her. Standing up and bowing quickly, Kagome tried to hold her composure long enough for her to leave. "P-please excuse m-me… I don't feel v-very well. I-I'll be back." Without another word, she briskly strode out of the hut, not bothering to look back.

Silence fell upon the room as the seconds ticked away, each person unsure of what to say.

Finally, Kaede spoke, her voice aged, weary with time. "InuYasha, be that girl your companion?"

InuYasha looked tense, his eyes darting everywhere around the hut but at the eyes that questioned him. "It's… hard to explain."

Sango sat down, dismissing the near-altercation between her and Miroku and sighed. "She's that girl, isn't she? The one we remembered so long ago…"

Miroku let out a little "ahh" before clapping his fist into his open palm. "I knew I recognized her somehow! Such grace would be very difficult to forget, after all."

Shippou shook his head. "I don't understand though," he started, his emerald gaze clouded with confusion, "if we can't really remember her so well, why can she remember us?"

The room fell silent once more, each lost in his own thoughts. After a few minutes, Miroku cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention. "Perhaps she knows? Certainly it seems strange, does it not, that we all met each other while covered in our own blood? Where was she? _Who_ is she? Maybe she has the answers to the questions we've been wondering all these years, don't you think?"

Sango cut in before anyone else could answer, her voice tinged with compassion. "I don't know what she knows or what she doesn't know, but judging from her behavior, I'd say she could use a friend." Her gaze was awash with understanding, remembering a time when she herself didn't care for answers or petty words, but for a friendly gesture and the warmth of reassurance. "InuYasha, you seem to know her best, don't you? Go get her and make her feel better, will you?"

InuYasha sputtered, his golden orbs filled with horror. "Wha–? No! Why me? She's a hella 'nnoying bitch who can't fucking keep her mouth shut! I ain't gonna go after her!" he huffed, steeling his gaze in an effort to dispel any ideas of his going after the wench. "Besides," he added, his tone petulant, "isn't Miroku the one that wants to get friendly with her? Let him do it!"

Sango sent Miroku a scathing glare, warning him not to so much as _think_ of accepting the offer. Sighing dejectedly, Miroku went on with the woman's ploy. "Well, true as that may be, InuYasha, I'm not the one who gets worked up when women cry. _You_ are."

"K-keh! I don't give a shit if that wench cries all day! She can have at it, for all I fucking care!" the hanyou returned, finding a spot on the wall particularly interesting to look at.

Wisely hiding his amusement at the sulky hanyou, Miroku exhaled exaggeratedly. "Well, that's good, because considering the way she was acting, she'll probably be crying till the morning."

Releasing a low snarl as he rose from the ground, InuYasha made his way out the hut without a word, mumbling something about 'fucking monks' and ' bitching wenches'.

Their laughter rang in his wake.

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InuYasha slowed to a walk after having sprinted most of the way to Goshinboku, knowing full well that the girl had come here.

Looking around, taking in the scenery as the waning light of the sun lent his surroundings a soft ambience, InuYasha ambled forward, hearing the soft sniffles of the object of his search. His clothes rustled with his movements, and he didn't try being discreet as he sauntered towards her. The last thing he wanted or needed was for the girl to freak out because she didn't know he was there.

Resting her head on her forearms, held up by her raised knees, Kagome made a small whimpering sound, keening softly. Her tears streaked down her cheeks, glistening in the weak light of dusk. Opening her eyes a crack to see InuYasha, her face contorted into a grimace as she sat up, clumsily wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to hide her tears.

The silver haired hanyou hunkered down beside her, arms resting on his knees as he looked at her, his golden eyes leaving her no place to hide. "Look here, wench–"

Forcing a small laugh for InuYasha's sake, Kagome looked at him, eyes puffy and red from her crying. "Oh, InuYasha, you didn't have to come looking for me! See? I'm fine!" she added with painfully fake cheer, causing him to smash his ears against his skull, the pitch in her voice higher than he would have liked.

He sighed.

"Kagome, why are you so sad? Why were you… why were you crying?" he questioned, his tone gentle, understanding.

Kagome exhaled softly, her tone resigned, almost plaintive. "It's so hard, you know?" Grimacing at her poor choice of words, Kagome bit back the desire to run off again and cry. "No, I.. I suppose you don't know. You don't remember, do you?"

InuYasha looked down at his hands, scowling at the things he couldn't remember. Why was it that the simple knowledge that he forgot her and she remembered him was enough to make him grit his teeth? Why did it make him feel like a traitor, as though he had broken a promise he had meant to keep? He shook his head. He didn't have a clue.

"No, Kagome, I… I don't remember. But… why don't you tell me– tell us? We've always wondered, what it was that happened. Our lives seemed connected, but it was like this chunk of it was missing. We just don't know where to find it." Looking up as he finished speaking, InuYasha saw it– the strangest emotion in the depths of her eyes, as though she…

_'No, that's… impossible. She couldn't–'_

_'And why not? That would explain a lot of it, really, if she did.'_

'_But me? She couldn't! She _wouldn't._ She's too… she would deserve better, anyway…'_

Her soothing voice cut through his musings, clearing his gaze as he stared at her once more, as he took note of her every move, watching as the soft breeze barely lifted her hair, bringing to mind another time, another place…"It isn't my place to tell you, InuYasha. Don't you see? This was… this was meant to happen, and if I told you… it'd be like breaking the rules, you know? Besides," she continued, her voice dropping to a near-whisper, "it would break me, telling you all the things you should know. I just couldn't…"

"Kagome…"

Offering him a wan smile, her brown orbs looked so sad, so lost. "I'll stay with you, InuYasha, if you'll have me."

Night was falling fast, but he didn't notice. The throbbing pulse in his skull was more than he could bear, and he dropped to his knees, his hands holding his head as the invasion of memories stormed his mind.

_She sat on the lip of the Bone-Eater's Well, looking more alone than he could have ever remembered. The morning sunshine spilled around her, bestowing her in an ethereal sort of radiance, making her gentle features appear almost angelic to him. The desperation in her aura cut at him, making him feel even guiltier for his inaction._

_She was looking at the ground, shuffling her feet slowly. When she spoke, her voice carried on to him like the caress of the softest breeze. "I… I want to stay with you. I won't be able to forget you."_

_His heart stopped for a moment or two, then slammed into him with a force that almost brought the hanyou to his knees. Torn between his desire to comfort her and the promise he had made to Kikyou the night before, InuYasha settled for waiting, hoping – praying – that she would understand. 'Kagome… I don't know how to answer.' _

_She spoke again, much to his relief. "InuYasha… just tell me one thing." She stood up quietly; made her way to him, her gaze still lingering on the ground._

_His mind was reeling with apprehension. What was she going to ask him? "Yeah?"_

_Finally, she met his gaze with her own, a tender pleading awash in her clear brown eyes. "Can I stay at your side?"_

Sitting up with a strangled sort of gasp, as though he had been suffocating, InuYasha turned wide eyes on Kagome, who was kneeling beside him, her eyes full concern. "InuYasha, you're… you're okay?"

He nodded slowly, and when he did, she hugged him, a vicious relief overcoming her as her exhaustion rolled in wave after wave. "Good," she murmured, the words dulled by his haori. She closed her eyes and leaned heavily against him, her body seeming to give out on her.

It had been a long day, hadn't it? She had been through so much in the course of one day, and InuYasha couldn't blame her as he picked her up, easily adjusting her so that he could carry her back to the village. Her head rested against his shoulder, her soft breathing punctuated by the beat of his heart.

"G'night, InuYasha," she whispered, her tone dreamy.

He sighed softly, gazing down at the woman in his arms, the light of the moon making her black hair shine blue. "Good night, Kagome."

She made a small sound of recognition before drifting to sleep, her implicit trust in him lending him a comfort that he hadn't even realized he needed.

Careful not to disturb her, he walked slowly to the village, his thoughts centered on the very woman that lay in his arms.

**Author's Note (2): **Okay… okay. I know. Every last one of you wants to kill me, but before you do anything rash…

I'M SORRY!

All right. See? Remorse. Lots of remorse. In fact, remorse is what made me finish this chapter. Where have I been all summer? Well, where is every _other_ adolescent? The beach, friends' houses, the gym, and my bed. Sleeping. Man, that was wonderful. But anyway! So, I just lost track of time for the past… what, almost four months? No, that's wrong. April and May were exam months. Every other month I lost track of time. Maim me, hurt me, but don't kill me, 'cause I won't be able to finish the story if you do. In any case, just… know that I love you all, even if you _are_ plotting my demise right now. In any case, I'm off. I can't make any promises, but I will do my best. That said… till later!

Peace and love,

.:.ZG91.:.


	6. Gilded Cage

**Disclaimer: **I have no possession over InuYashal I never have, and I never will.

**Author Note (1): **Always remember, friends: constructive criticism is most certainly welcome, and it really helps with the writing. That in mind, read on!

**Chapter: **Gilded Cage

_She was running again, but from what, she wasn't quite certain. The shadows enveloped her mind, bringing her to clamp her eyes shut, determined on seeing nothing around her. Heartbeat pounding in her ears, flashes of memories reeling in her mind, her breathing came in quick, shallow breaths– just enough to keep her moving. Salty tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, her sorrow engulfing her every thought._

_She was frantic. Time was running out, and she knew it. The ghosts that haunted her were all too real– predominating every conscious thought she possessed. _

"_Have to… keep… running…!" Her voice was empty, void of any real feeling save for her rising anxiety– her fear of what was to come. Her breathing was stuttered as she continued panting; gasping for air. The sound of her footfalls steadily weakened as she trudged forward, trying to outrun the demons that plagued the depths of her soul._

_Hours seemed to pass as she did everything her body allowed in order to keep running– running from his smile, his voice, his shy, hesitant laughs… and those golden eyes…_

_She tripped and fell, and without warning, she saw him, but this time– this time… it was different._

_He was smiling a brilliant smile, his golden eyes lit with a fire she missed much more than words could ever describe. His silver hair glinted in the fabricated light of the walls around them, and he extended his hand to her. _

_Slowly, tentatively, she took his hand– and rose. She stood up, bracing herself against him, making certain that he was really there with her; that he wasn't leaving her again…_

_Without wasting another moment, she threw herself against him, sobbing, laughing, the erratic beat of her heart racing against his. He pulled her closer, resting his chin atop her head with his arms encircled around her. "Don't cry, Kagome. I won't leave you… I promise…"_

The early morning rays slipped stealthily through the crevices of the hut, their presence barely noticeable but providing just enough light for Kagome to see. Heartbeat still pounding in her ears, she rose slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. She noticed InuYasha sleeping some few feet away from her, though his haori had been carefully draped over her shoulders. Smiling softly at his subtle display of kindness, Kagome slipped it off quietly and hurriedly made her way out of the hut.

Slightly chilled by the cool breeze outside, Kagome rubbed her hands against her arms, her thoughts still lost in her dream. What did it mean? She hadn't dreamt anything but one dream for nine years, and for something different to finally happen… Kagome didn't try filling in any blanks. Too scared to set high expectations only to have them broken, she willed herself to push the question to the back of her mind.

She began walking, not knowing or caring where her steps would take her. Relishing the feel of the beauty that surrounded her, Kagome attempted to clear her mind, trying not to worry about the inevitable, knowing it was useless to fight it. At some point, they were going to ask her all the questions to which they had no answers, just like InuYasha had the night before. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes, sighing as she allowed the breeze to comfort her. _'What will I tell them? I can't… I can't explain what happened. It's just so much more than I can handle…'_

"Hey, you."

Whirling around only to find InuYasha standing behind her, the tenseness of her body whooshed out of her as quickly as it had come. Why did he so enjoy sneaking up on her like that? _'I'll never know...'_

"Good morning to you, too, sunshine. What are you doing up so early?" she asked, slightly startled by the directness of his clear, golden gaze.

He snorted, slipping his arms into the haori she had left back in the hut. "I could ask you the same thing, wench. Just what do you think you're doing out here with no one to save your pathetic human ass?"

She had to bite her tongue from snapping at him, knowing full well that was his way of expressing concern, even if it didn't seem as much. "I was taking a walk, thanks. I needed to clear my head." Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned around, trying not to seem _too _rude by ending the conversation at that.

"Hey, that's not good enough, bitch! What if some demon came out here and decided you'd make a good breakfast?" he countered, taking a few large steps to walk on par with her.

His derisive pet name striking a nerve, she stopped abruptly, turning to face him as she tried to keep her rising irritation in check. "Then at least I'd be getting away from _you,_ you jerk!" Sighing in exasperation, she turned back in the direction of the hut, deciding she was better off going back. "I'm not in the mood for this, InuYasha, okay? Ugh!"

Temper piqued, InuYasha watched the retreating girl with mounting displeasure, stomping over to her to get her to see his point. "Fuck that, Kagome! I'm serious! You can't just go outside prancing around whenever you damn well feel like it! You're _weak_, or don't you get that?"

Feeling a headache rising, she stopped mid-stride, using her fingers to rub her aching temples. "Fine, InuYasha! The next time I so much as want to _pee,_ I'll make sure to make you stop whatever it is you're doing to make sure nothing happens to me, okay?"

Growling in frustration, he knew full well that she was just mocking him. Why didn't she get it? She could have been seriously hurt because of how reckless she was, walking right out in the open like that! Didn't she see? "Listen, bitch," he started, grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a little shake, "I'm just trying to make sure you don't get yourself killed, all right? Do whatever the hell you want, if it fucking makes you happy." With one last, leering glare, he leapt away, leaving a very angry Kagome in his wake.

"Oooh, the nerve of him! Who does he think he is, ordering me around like that? Just wait till he gets back…" she grumbled haughtily, stomping her way towards Kaede's hut, planning nothing short of giving InuYasha hell the minute he returned. "Stupid baka…"

Sprinting through the trees as quickly as he dared, InuYasha sped along the forest, deciding the run would help him cool off before he tore that girl's head off. _'Keh! That wench can go and piss right off for all I fucking care! Nothing but a headache…'_

He stopped suddenly, sniffing out a boar youkai right around him. A small grin escaped him as he cracked his knuckles, a chuckle the only sound besides the rustling of leaves. "I know you're there, you filthy pig. Why don't you come out to play? I could use some exercise."

The demon ambled out of some nearby trees, his massive size not intimidating InuYasha in the slightest. Snorting as he pawed at the ground, he gazed at InuYasha with his blood-red eyes, the orange crescent moon on his forehead practically glowing with the light of the sunrise. "You _dare_ to challenge me? You, a half-breed? Don't make me laugh!"

Flexing his claws, InuYasha bit back the fury that rose upon hearing those words, hating the disdainful tone coming from such a pathetic youkai. "Yeah, say what you will, you disgusting fat ass. Half-breed or not, I'm gonna take you down!"

Without sparing another moment, InuYasha lunged at the youkai, but too slowly. The demon was far quicker than InuYasha had anticipated, and before he had time to pick himself up, he was being tossed aside like a rag doll by the boar's venomous tusks, the burn from the poison on them making the pain that much more unbearable.

Wincing as he was thrown against a spindly, barren tree, InuYasha fell to the ground pathetically, the sound of his fall resounding with a sickening thud. Grunting as he tried to push himself up, InuYasha looked around in a seeming daze, his vision blurred. Ears still working, however, he heard the boar youkai stamping the ground, preparing to charge once more.

Rolling to the side just in time, InuYasha barely missed being crushed between the boar's tusks and the now-cracked tree. "Limping away, dog?"

Mustering the strength to push himself to his feet, InuYasha wobbled as he stood, blood escaping from a scrape on his right cheek. "Keh! As if I'd run from a weakling like you!" he scoffed, spitting on the ground beside him as he finished.

The youkai chuckled at that, the orange crescent glowing more with every second that passed. "Oh really, puppy? It looks to me as though you're all bark and no bite! Filthy hanyou, talking more than you're worth!"

With that, the boar charged at him, hitting him dead on. The blinding pain that overtook him as a venomous tusk pierced into his side forced a small cry from InuYasha, his senses completely engulfed by his current turmoil. The boar finally threw him to the side into a large, nearby rock. The force of the impact drew a grunt from InuYasha, and for just a moment, he wondered if he'd cracked his head open.

"And you expect me to be afraid of you? Foolish dog! Scum like you can never overpower me!" This time, the boar began walking his way over to InuYasha, certain that the hanyou had lost consciousness.

"K…keh."

Halting in his steps, the boar looked at the crumpled form of InuYasha, amazed that he was still alive. "So, you haven't given up yet, puppy? Still wanna play?"

Raising himself to lean on his left knee, InuYasha slowly made his way up again, the right side of his face now completely bruised and bloodied while the left side of his haori was stained scarlet. The determination in his golden eyes, however, gave the boar pause. His voice was low, dripping with malice as he wiped some blood from his mouth. "Call me a puppy _one more time,_ and I swear I'll fucking tear you limb from limb, you nasty hog."

The candor of InuYasha's gaze seemed to still the boar youkai, as though he was frozen to the spot. InuYasha, seeing his opening, seized his chance to attack the boar head-on. Without a moment's hesitation, he sprinted forward, the pain in his side more excruciating than anything he remembered but ignoring it for the time being. Stretching out his claws, InuYasha lunged at the youkai. "Sankon tetsusou!"

Brought back to attention by the white-hot pain rippling through his body, the boar youkai was forced to his knees, bleeding profusely from his back. Before giving him the chance to recover, however, InuYasha spun around, inadvertently causing his broken ribs to rub against each other and likewise wring a cry from him. Praying to any and every god that he didn't miss, InuYasha plunged his claws into his side and swung them back out with the roar, "Hijin ketsusou!"

The boar youkai was completely torn to pieces, his remains exploding into a millions particles of dust lost on the breeze.

All went still in the forest, and InuYasha dropped to the ground, gripping his left side and shutting his eyes closed. _'Well, _fuck._ That hurt, damn it!'_

'_Keh! Think I didn't notice?'_

'_Well, I don't know. You seemed to play it damn well when that hog was around.'_

'_Yeah? Good. At least he died knowing a _hanyou_ killed him. Fucking bastard.'_

'_Well, at least one good thing's coming out of this.' _His youkai sounded smug, and InuYasha could only wonder what good it could possibly think could come from being beaten to a pulp by a boar demon first thing in the morning.

'_And what would that be?'_

'_Kagome'll be treating our wounds, of course.'_

Eyes flying open with the mention of _her_ name, InuYasha hurriedly pulled himself up, breathing stuttered as the pain intensified all over his body. _'What the fuck? Why are you thinking of that _wench_ when I'm dying?'_

His youkai snorted, irritating InuYasha beyond belief. _'Because she heals you, you baka.'_

"Keh! The day that wench heals me is the day I die!"

Summoning as much dignity as he could, he began limping back the way he came, hating himself for thinking of her, especially since it was _her_ fault this whole ordeal happened in the first place. _'Just wait till I get back… damn wench…'_

The invasive silence rang in her ears, preventing any coherent thought from forming.

_Far more irritated than she expected to be, Kagome stormed into the hut, not making contact with anyone in sight. Fuming over the events of that morning, she hadn't realized everyone else had woken up, too, and was only more than interested in asking her what was wrong. Sitting down in the far left corner of the hut (incidentally, the one InuYasha usually claimed as his own), Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, a thoroughly livid scowl encompassing her features. _

_Miroku, casual as ever, coughed inconspicuously into his fist, hiding his unmistakable curiosity. Noting InuYasha's absence and Kagome current irate state, Miroku's curiosity leapt in bounds, mere manner withholding him from questioning the seemingly incensed woman. When the dead silence became more than he could bear, he spoke._

"_So, Kagome, how are you this fine morning?" _

_Kagome's less-than-friendly gaze fell on the monk, immediately convincing him that he was treading in dangerous waters. He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head with a muttered, "Never mind."_

_Shippou squirmed uncomfortably and promptly excused himself under the pretense of "looking for firewood." Miroku, feeling Kagome's glare following his every move, followed in suit, claiming he was going to "look for InuYasha." After he left the hut, Kagome finally turned her gaze back down to her feet and sighed, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. _

"_Where's Kaede?" Kagome asked, finally realizing that the elderly woman was nowhere to be found. _

"_A woman came by earlier wondering if Kaede could go with her and prepare her medicines for the sick of her village." _

"_I see."_

_Sensing Kagome needed someone to talk to, Sango offered some words of encouragement. "I don't know what it is that happened, but it's obvious InuYasha cares for you. He just… has a funny way of showing it sometimes. He's never been very good with words." Kagome looked at her, eyes brightening as she smiled at her friend, thanking her silently for always knowing what to say. _

"_I know he isn't… I just wish he'd understand that I need some time by myself sometimes, especially now that everything's so… different." Kagome confessed quietly, any remaining anger seeping out of her. _

_Sango nodded, understanding Kagome's side, too. "Maybe you should try telling him? He's not very good at catching hints, either." Kagome snorted lightly and rolled her eyes, knowing that all too well for herself. Opening her mouth to comment, Kagome was suddenly cut off from making any sort of reply as Sango continued to speak._

"_It's strange, you know? Talking to you like this feels so normal, as though I did it all the time or something, and yet, this is the first time I've ever spoken to you about, well, anything, really." Sango clenched her fist tightly, as though frustrated, but refraining from making further comment all the same. She stared intently at her closed palm, blinking rapidly. Finally, she looked up at Kagome with tears in her eyes, much to the latter's surprise. "It hurts to see you sad, and I don't know why! And I feel as though I should – I really do – but I don't! Since you came to us yesterday, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how I wish I could make you smile, because you're like a sister to me… but see, that doesn't make any sense because I just met you for the first time yesterday! I don't get it!" she yelled, slamming her fist into the wooden floor. "I simply… don't understand," she whispered, a lone tear streaking down her porcelain cheek._

_Kagome immediately made her way over to Sango, grasping her in a hug meant to comfort her– meant to let her know that all her words were like a balm on Kagome's heart, soothing the pain that ate at her every moment of every day. Her heart lodged in her throat, all Kagome could do was sit there and hope that Sango understood._

"_Thanks, Kagome," Sango muttered, hugging the girl back tightly as though afraid she would disappear._

"_No, thank _you,_ Sango. You really don't understand how much you mean to me, but maybe – just maybe – it'll all turn out okay."_

_Confused eyes met her own, and Kagome smiled nervously. "Um, don't worry about it. Let's just wait for InuYasha to get back, okay? You should probably rest. You look exhausted." _

_Sango nodded, yawning on cue and further reinforcing Kagome's point. "I think I'll do just that. Wake me up when InuYasha and Miroku get back, okay? Although, knowing them and their penchant for making a ruckus, I probably won't need it." _

_Kagome nodded with a smile, and with that, Sango flopped down on her side and fell asleep almost instantly. Kagome, releasing one of her trademark sighs, returned to her little corner, waiting for her hanyou to reappear._

Blinking as the memory faded, Kagome looked to the straw mat that served as the hut's door, willing InuYasha to appear there. She progressively became more and more tense as the uncanny suspicion that something had happened to him took hold of her. No longer able to withstand it, she finally stood up and began making her way outside when a booming yell echoed through the nearby trees.

"Sango! Kagome! Somebody please help me!" Miroku's clear, strong voice resonated across to Kaede's hut, making its way to Kagome's ears.

Without so much as a second thought, Kagome sprinted out of the hut, searching frantically for the would-be monk. Eyes darting everywhere in search of his dark robes, Kagome was desperate to find him, knowing full well that the distress in his voice was due to InuYasha, whatever his condition. And knowing how well Miroku usually kept his calm, InuYasha's condition couldn't be good at all.

Dispelling the looming worry from her mind, she listened for Miroku's voice once more and instantly ran after it, trying to locate her companions as quickly as possible. "Miroku? Where are you?" she yelled as loudly as she could, hoping it would be enough for the monk to hear.

Much to her relief, it was. "I'm near Goshinboku, Kagome! Come, quick!"

He didn't need to say that twice. Kagome sped off in the direction of the God Tree, hoping she wouldn't find the worst when she got there. Her breath started coming in short, and she was once again reminded of how out of shape she was. She was reminded of how long it had been since any of them had been on an adventure together. She was reminded of how much time it had been since she had last seen InuYasha.

The thought alone made her sprint faster, and before she knew it, she was bent over the hanyou, carefully moving aside hair and sleeves to take a better look at his various wounds.

"InuYasha! InuYasha? InuYasha, please say something!" she nearly cried, taking serious note of the crimson stains encompassing his left side as well as the cut and scrape on his right cheek. "Oh, this is all my fault!"

Miroku looked over at the seeming stranger, concern awash in his gaze. "Kagome," he started, and he placed a hand on her shoulder as though to emphasize his point, "this isn't your fault. Do you understand? InuYasha always manages to get himself into this kind of trouble all on his own! Don't you remember?" Shock registered in his eyes at what he'd just uttered, and his hand recoiled from the girl's shoulder, as though it somehow burned him. "I'll, uh…"

Kagome shifted her gaze to InuYasha's cheek, pretending not to have noticed Miroku's slip-up. "Why don't you get me some herbs and cloths from Kaede's hut? I'm afraid to be moving InuYasha right now, given his condition. Not to mention that bleeding from his left side doesn't seem to be stopping, and I'm not really sure why…"

"Sure thing, Kagome. I'll be right back." And without another word, he was off.

Turning her attention back to InuYasha's wounds, Kagome sighed. "I'm so sorry, InuYasha… if I hadn't gotten so mad at you this morning, you wouldn't have run off, and this wouldn't have happened." She sniffled as her eyes started tearing up, and she grabbed one of his hands, clasping it between both of hers. "I'm really not mad at you, though. I–"

Her response was cut off by the feeling of InuYasha's hand squeezing hers. "Say, Kagome… isn't this… isn't this the place where we… first met?" his breath came out in a little more than a whisper, but she heard it as clear as day.

She didn't dare believe what he meant, though– at least, not what she hoped he'd meant, anyway. Forcing a chuckle, she gave his hand a little squeeze back and placed it on his leg. He was slouching against the trunk of Goshinboku, and his eyes appeared to be half-closed. "Oh, silly! Of course we did! Yesterday, remember?" It killed her just the slightest bit to say that.

He opened his eyes and, weak though he was, the intensity of his stare never lessened, and he silently dared her to lie. "No, Kagome… we met a long time ago, didn't we? I was… tied up or something, right? I couldn't move for some reason, and I don't know why, but I think I thought you were… someone else…" A sudden tinge of guilt entered his eyes, and they widened noticeably before he cast them down once more, obviously avoiding Kagome's gaze.

No words could rightfully describe the mixed feelings of joy and sadness she felt at that moment. Happy that he could remember the incident but sad that he would remember his mix-up with Kikyou before he'd remember his feelings for her, Kagome wasn't sure what to say, and in the end, said nothing. Instead, she opted to take a better look at his wounds, and proceeded to try to take off InuYasha's haori.

"W-woah there, Kagome! What… are you doing?" InuYasha fumbled for words as his face turned the color of the cloth that was currently being removed.

"Nothing bad, you pervert!" Kagome scolded as her cheeks pinked just a bit. "I'm trying to take off your shirt so I could take a better look at your wounds. Do you mind, or would you rather I left you here to get an infection and die?"

"K-keh! I'm not a pervert! I wasn't thinking of anything like… that… I was just surprised, is all!" InuYasha scoffed, turning his head to the side so Kagome couldn't see his face.

"Mm, hmm… suuuuure, InuYasha. Whatever you say." Kagome returned, and before he could retort in kind, continued taking off his haori, followed by his undershirt.

Upon taking off his undershirt, however, Kagome gasped, covering her mouth at the sight of the deep gash and deep-red blood oozing from it. "Oh, my goodness… InuYasha, what happened? How long ago did this happen?"

"Well, judging from the fact that you woke up at about the crack of dawn, bitched me out about thirty minutes later, and got my ass handed to me about another twenty minutes later…" he drifted off and closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again, looking directly at Kagome with somewhat of a bored expression, "I'd say about two and a half hours."

"InuYasha!" Kagome nearly yelled, appalled at how much time had passed since he'd received his wounds. "How could you let yourself get so hurt? The blood hasn't stopped flowing from the gash on your side, and I don't know why. This could be really serious!" She'd have throttled him if she could, really.

"Damn it, wench! How was I supposed to know that youkai would beat me so badly? If _someone_ hadn't put me in such a bad mood, maybe this would have never happened!" he shot back, his temper overpowering his need to flop backwards and collapse. "And in case you wanted to know, the bleeding probably hasn't stopped because he was… uhh… a poisonous youkai…"

Not able to properly hear the last few words he muttered, Kagome leaned in closer. "Because he was what? I couldn't listen properly since I was trying to make sense of the part where _you_ getting beat up because of a fight _you_ probably started is my fault."

"I guess you're just not smart enough to understand such complicated ideas, are you, Kagome?" the hanyou snapped back.

"Ohhh, really? All right, well then! Why don't you just clean up your own wounds, dog-boy?" she started as she got on her knees and began to rise. "I hear dog's saliva is great for healing wounds, but sadly for you, I don't think the size of your ego's gonna let you reach anywhere, now is it?"

"F-feh! Nasty bitch! I don't want _your_ help anyway!–" _'What are you talking about? Yes, I do!' _"–You'd probably just make these wounds even worse than they already are!" he replied, his youkai scolding him the whole way through.

"Ugh! That's it! I've had it with you and your stupid–"

"Now, now, Kagome, let's not be so rash!" Miroku intoned as he placed his hand on her shoulder to prevent her from leaving. "InuYasha tends to become even more volatile the weaker he is, so umm… how about Sango and I give you a hand with bandaging him up?"

At that instant, Sango came around Kagome's other side, a smile in place as she offered Kagome a towel. "Need help? He's always been a nasty one to clean up after."

"Hey! Who you callin' nasty?"

Shoulders slumping as a resigned sigh escaped her, Kagome took the towel Sango offered her, kneeling down in front of InuYasha with a scowl on her face. "Do either of you have any herbs to extract poison? It seems _someone_ was too full of it to be careful."

A small growl slipped from InuYasha. "Why you–"

"Right here, Kagome!" Miroku interrupted, handing Kagome the necessary herbs. "If you need anything at all, just let me know!"

"Thanks, Miroku, but it's fine. I've got all I need here." Kagome replied. "Feel free to go back to the hut if you want. I'm sure I can handle the rest."

"Are you sure, Kagome?" Sango questioned, sincerely wanting to help her.

"No, it's fine, really. Just leave me the towels and herbs you brought over, and that should be enough. If I need anything, I'll just call or go over," she answered, then smiled.

Miroku and Sango traded worried glances, but didn't dispute Kagome's claim. Both rising, Sango made to turn back as Miroku dusted his robes. "All right then, Kagome. We're only a short ways away, so feel free to call if you need anything!" And with that, they left.

"As for you," she began, turning towards the injured hanyou, "I hope you like your bandages tight, because those insults sure aren't earning you any first-class treatment."

"H-hey! It's not _my_ fault you get offended so easily!" InuYasha answered, scrunching his face up into a pout.

She glared daggers at him in response, grabbing his cheek and cleaning that wound up, first. "No, it isn't your fault I get offended so easily, but it _is_ your fault I get offended, _baka!"_

"K-keh!"

"I must admit she's right, Master InuYasha. If you weren't so crude in your manner, I highly doubt that–"

Catching the flea demon between his forefinger and thumb, InuYasha effectively cut off Myouga while leering into his small, wizened face. "What the hell do you want, Myouga?"

Kagome's hands stilled as she looked in the direction of the flea demon, unable to believe her ears. "Myouga? Is that really you?"

The flea looked at the inquisitive girl, not knowing who she was but recognizing her all the same. "My, my! Master InuYasha, I must say you do have rather fine taste!"

Flicking him away, InuYasha let out the smallest growl. "Shut it, Myouga."

Picking himself up and dusting the dirt off his clothes, Myouga eyes Kagome questioningly. "You have a distinctive air about you, m'girl. I recognize it, but for some reason, I cannot remember your face. Why is that?" Before he gave Kagome the chance to speak, he turned to InuYasha. "Why, Master InuYasha! I didn't realize! I smell poison in your system!"

"Yeah, so?"

Clearing his throat, a greedy glint entered the flea demon's eye. "I do believe _someone_ should remove that, before it harms you further, don't you think?"

The hanyou snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and that _someone_ is Kagome, you got that, flea?"

Turning to the girl in question, Myouga crossed his arms. "Kagome? Kagome… Kagome… Merlin's beard, does that name sound familiar! Kagome… " _'The woman we remembered from nine years ago, eh?'_ He shook his head and sighed. "Sorry, m'lady. It does seem familiar, but with the prospect of sucking InuYasha's blood in mind, I simply cannot concentrate!" Turning to the hanyou, he grinned. "May I?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Be my guest."

InuYasha started to protest, but Kagome placed her hand on his shoulder to stay him. "Just let him, InuYasha! It'll be a lot faster if he does it." Grumbling but consenting nonetheless, InuYasha muttered unintelligibly while drumming his claws on the ground.

When finally Myouga finished sucking the poison from InuYasha's blood, he dropped to the ground and rolled onto his back, satisfied with his meal. "Aaahhh, now that was an excellent lunch!"

Kagome continued dabbing at InuYasha's wounds, cleaning them up fully now that the bleeding was beginning to slow. "Yeah, yeah," InuYasha drawled, "Why don't you get on out of here, eh, Myouga?"

Smirking at InuYasha, Myouga stood up and bowed. "Why, of course, Master InuYasha! You don't need to say any more! I know how you must like your private time with Miss Kagome–" And before the flea could finish, InuYasha scooped him up with one hand and tossed him away as far as he could. "Keh! That'll teach you to talk! Perverted old flea!"

Blushing slightly, Kagome turned her attention to the hanyou. "InuYasha! That wasn't very nice!"

"Keh! He deserves it, talking nonsense the way he does! Old man doesn't know when to shut his trap!"

A little miffed by his words, Kagome cleaned the last bit of blood up and sat back. "Oh? Nonsense? Is that what he says?"

"Of course!" InuYasha snorted derisively. "As if I'd like spending time with a wench like _you." _Turning his attention to the floor, the InuYasha continued drumming his claws.

"Really now?" Kagome asked as she grabbed a long, thin towel and wrapped it around his middle to cover his wound.

InuYasha sat up while she did this, and though he sensed the irritation in her tone, his eyes nearly shut as he was bombarded with memories from days long past– from countless times she'd bandaged him up with strange types of cloth that stuck to his skin and wrapped perfectly around his wounds. He remembered all the times she gently treated his cuts and injuries, always making sure that she never did anything to hurt him. A migraine suddenly hit him as the sight of Kagome's tears flashed in front of him. He remembered–

"Kagome–"

"Well, that's just fine by me, dog-boy! I'm outta here." Tying the knot as tightly as she could, Kagome stood up, grabbed the used cloths, and made her way to leave.

"Damn it, Kagome! I'm trying to talk to you!" Rising as quickly as he could, InuYasha grabbed her hand to stop her, clutching his wounded side with his other hand.

She slowly turned back to him, looking first to her hand in his and then to his eyes, confusion and hesitance awash in her gaze. "InuYasha?"

Realizing that he was still holding her hand, InuYasha promptly let go, blushing scarlet as he turned his eyes to hers. "I… Why did you cry for me that one time? I… can't remember…"

Kagome's eyes widened with shock at InuYasha's words. "Why…?"

Frustrated with himself for not remembering, he sat back down, leaning his head and back against Goshinboku, one knee propped up. "I remember seeing your tears… we were fighting some kind of… spider? A spider demon?" He growled slightly. "I can't remember! Damn it!"

Kagome sat down next to him, tears pooling in her eyes. "I… was afraid I'd lose you. I didn't want you to die."

Touched by her words, InuYasha turned to her. She was looking down at the ground, as though afraid to look at him. "Kagome, I…"

Standing up before he could say anything else, Kagome stood up, grabbing InuYasha's hands as she did so and urging him to join her. "Well! I think we should get going! It's almost noon, and I'm starving! Don't you agree, InuYasha?"

"Uh, sure." He stood up and continued to hold her hands. "Kagome…"

Trying her best not to reminisce, the woman looked at him, doing her best to force a smile. "Yes, InuYasha?"

"I… wouldn't want to lose you either."

Stunned by his words, Kagome didn't know what to say. _'InuYasha…'_

Blush deepening, InuYasha let go of her hands and started making his way back to the village, crossing his arms in front of him. "Well, it's like you said: it's almost noon, and I haven't eaten a thing! Can you cook, wench?"

Heart beating wildly, head spinning, all Kagome could do was nod.

"Good! I'll go catch some fish while you take care of the rest, okay?" Without another word, he was gone.

Looking at him as he leapt away, Kagome still couldn't believe her ears, an d she wondered for what seemed to have been the millionth time since her arrival in the feudal era whether any of this was really real. _'Maybe… maybe everything really can work out…' _And with that, she began her walk back to the village, wondering if Shippou ever got that firewood…

**Author's Note (2): **Hijin ketsusou: blades of blood, Sankon tetsusou: Soul-Shattering Iron Claw, or more fondly known as Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer

**Author's Note (3): **I'll try not to make the next chapter so long! I kind of just kept going here, and I mean, with like two years to write, you can't blame me. :P But yeah, I'm back! And kickin'. And I'll be working on the next chapter. Please leave a review if you have the time! I always appreciate them! And if there are any typos or spacing problems, please let me know!

Peace out,

.91.:.


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